


Boys and Queens

by vivvav



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Shizuka Sakamoto, The AFR Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-19 08:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11309721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivvav/pseuds/vivvav
Summary: Ryuji has been hanging out with Hifumi Togo a lot lately. They just enjoy each other's company. But when the tabloids catch wind of it, he's forced to confront some unspoken feelings between them. Thankfully, Ren and Makoto are willing to help him out.





	1. The Ketchup Scandal

**Author's Note:**

> You people asked for it, and against my expectations, I wanted to write it. So here we are.
> 
> If the concept of the Ryuji/Hifumi pairing is bizarre to you (I genuinely believe I am the guy who invented it, and I didn't even do it on purpose), check out my story "Confidant Roulette", because this is basically a sequel to that. It's ten chapters, but the only parts that are relevant to this story are Chapters 1, 6, and 10.

“You really didn’t have to pay for my meal” Hifumi said. She grabbed a table for two at the Big Bang Burger and sat down.

“Think of it like payment for today’s lesson” Ryuji said. He sat down across from her. “‘Sides, it’s not like it was expensive or nothin’.”

“Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?” Hifumi smiled and picked up the cheeseburger she’d purchased. She sniffed it quickly, then slowly put it into her mouth. Hifumi's teeth cleaved through the bun and dug their way through the beef patty. Gradually, she tore the rest of the burger away from her mouth, chewing slowly. She closed her eyes and a massive surprised smile appeared on her face. Mouth still closed, she squealed in delight as she chewed.

Hifumi’s culinary rapture was interrupted by the sound of Ryuji’s snickering. She opened her eyes and saw the boy across from her pointing and laughing at her. Hifumi swallowed the bite in her mouth and her brow furrowed.

“What’s so funny!?”

“You are!” Ryuji banged his fist on the table. “I can’t believe you’ve never had a cheeseburger before!”

“Of course I have!” Hifumi took another bite of her burger. “It’s just been a very long time, is all” she said with her mouth full.

“Really? ‘Cause from how excited you’re gettin’, it’s like you just discovered religion or somethin’!”

“You’re hardly one to talk.” Hifumi put down her burger and picked up a fry, dipping it in ketchup. “I’m the one who actually goes to church regularly.”

“Yeah, to play shogi.” Ryuji crossed his arms. “That doesn’t count!”

“I attend actual services too, you know!” Hifumi shoved the fry in her mouth, this time swallowing her food before continuing speaking. “It’s not like I just decided to practice in a church randomly. I picked it because it’s a place that’s familiar and comfortable to me.”

“Huh.” Ryuji took a bite out of his own burger. “I didn’t know you were so religious.”

“It’s more about the sense of community.” Hifumi rested her elbows on the table and smiled. “I’ve been going to that church since I was little. The people there don’t see me as the famous shogi player Hifumi Togo, they just see me as one of them. I enjoy being recognized for my skills, but it’s frustrating for the whole world to only see you as one thing, you know?”

“Yeah.” Ryuji tried not to dwell on the less-favorable labels he’d been assigned in life. “Still, the burger thing’s weird. Is that that religious thing where you can’t eat milk and meat together?”

“You mean keeping kosher?”

“Yeah! That!”

“I’m pretty sure only Jewish people do that.” Hifumi stared at Ryuji dumbfounded. “Also, how do _you_ know about it?”

“I know stuff!” Ryuji bit into his burger again. “I’m not a dumbass, y’know!”

“Well, to answer your question about the burgers…” Hifumi dipped another fry in ketchup. “It’s because of my mother. For the longest time she was trying to mold me into an idol, which meant strictly supervising my meals so I wouldn’t gain any weight.”

“That’s dumb.” Ryuji finally swallowed the pulped-up burger bite in his mouth. “You’ve already got a great body.”

Hifumi didn’t say anything. Without thinking, she threw a fry at Ryuji’s face, hitting his nose and smearing ketchup on it.

“Hey! What was that for!?”

“You don’t just say something like that to a girl so casually!” Hifumi’s face was red.

“What? Do you want me to tell you you’re ugly or somethin’!?”

“No!” Hifumi picked up the ketchup cup and threw it at Ryuji, once again hitting him square in the nose, the whole cup remaining in place.

“Cut that out!”

“I can’t help it!” Hifumi looked down, holding her hands together. “It’s an automatic response.”

“Seriously?” Ryuji leaned back and stared at the ceiling. He and Hifumi had been spending a lot of time together since that week Ren was sick. In that time, he’d come to think that she had even more of a natural fighter’s instinct than he did. He looked back at her and pulled the ketchup cup off his nose. “Yeah, that makes sense, I guess.”

“Still, I’m sorry. What you said _was_ inappropriate, but I suppose my response was unnecessary as well.” Hifumi stared at Ryuji and started giggling.

“If you’re so sorry, then why’re you laughin’?”

“You’ve got ketchup all over your nose. It’s completely red.”

“Aw, f’real!?” Ryuji moved his hand up to his nose to wipe it off, but Hifumi grabbed his wrist.

“No, wait!”

“What?”

“I want to try something!” Hifumi picked up one of her fries and dipped it into Ryuji’s ketchup cup on the other side of the table. She started rubbing the tip of the fry on the area of Ryuji’s face around his mouth.

“What’re you-“

“Hold still!” Hifumi finished and put down the fry, then broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

“What did you do!?”

“You- You-“ Hifumi too deep breaths, stifling her laughter. She pulled out her cell phone, took a picture of Ryuji, and showed it to him. “You look like a clown!” She broke down laughing again.

“What the-“ Ryuji looked at the photo. Sure enough, between his colorful red nose and a red smile Hifumi had drawn on his face in ketchup, he looked like a low budget clown. It was so ridiculous that he started laughing too. Ryuji and Hifumi were laughing hysterically for a solid minute before either could calm down enough to speak.

“Alright, alright…” Hifumi wiped some tears of laughter from her eyes, catching her breath. “Fitting as that look is for you, you can’t stay that way forever.” Hifumi picked up a napkin and started to move it towards Ryuji’s face. She hesitated when she got close and lowered her hand, holding out the napkin for him. “Um… Here.”

“Oh, I- Uh… Yeah.” Ryuji took the napkin and wiped off his face. He and Hifumi awkwardly looked away from each other.

On the other side of the Big Bang Burger’s window, a shutter snapped.

* * *

“Hey Mom, I'm home!” Ryuji stepped into his apartment, kicked off his shoes, and dropped his bag by the front door. “Gimme a minute and I’ll get the game ready!”

“No need.” Ryuji’s mother was sitting on the floor of the apartment with crossed legs, smiling and waving to her son, a fully-prepared shogi board already laid out before her. Lately, Ryuji and his mother would spend Wednesday nights playing shogi. The two didn’t have many common interests, so it was a nice way for them to spend some time together. It turned out that Ryuji’s mother used to play shogi with her own father when she was a little girl, so although her skills were rusty, she was pretty good at the game. Certainly better than Ryuji was. They’d been having weekly games for a couple months now and he still hadn’t beaten her yet. Still, Ryuji was surprised to see she’d already set up the board. He knew that his mother enjoyed their games, but she usually wasn’t this eager.

“You’re in a good mood.” Ryuji sat across from his mother. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing.” Ryuji’s mother’s tone was positively giddy.

“C’mon, you expect me to believe that? I ain’t seen you this happy in forever!” Ryuji's eyes widened and a big grin appeared on his face. “Didja finally get that promotion you’ve been talkin’ about!?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’ll tell you after our match.”

“Alright…” Ryuji squinted his eyes. “But this better not be some kinda mind game to throw me off. I’m gonna beat you this time!”

Ryuji did not beat his mother this time.

“Aw man.” Ryuji rubbed the back of his head in frustration. “I lost again!”

“Did you, though?” Ryuji’s mother asked coyly.

“What’re you talkin’ about, Mom? You got my king. That means I lose.”

“Yes, but you did so much better this time. When you captured both of my knights, I thought you might actually win this one.”

“But I didn’t.” Ryuji huffed. “I still can’t beat you.”

“ _Can’t_ you, though?” Ryuji’s mother let out a giggle.

“Ok, you’ve been actin’ weird ever since I got home! What’s goin’ on!?”

“Tell me, Ryuji: Is it really that hard for you to beat me in shogi?” Ryuji’s mother reached over towards the couch and grabbed her purse from it. “Or have you just been pretending so you’ll have an excuse to keep ‘practicing’ with your girlfriend?”

“WHAT!?” Ryuji lurched back. “What’re you talkin’ about!?”

“One of the interns at work was reading this. I happened to notice some interesting pictures in there as I was walking by her during lunch.” Ryuji’s mother pulled a teen gossip magazine out of her purse and handed it to Ryuji. She pointed to the lower left corner, where there was a picture of Hifumi Togo captioned “The Phony Princess’s Secret Romance! Page 29!”

Ryuji opened the magazine and flipped to page 29. There were several photos of him and Hifumi at the Big Bang Burger three days ago, all with his eyes blacked out. One was him laughing at Hifumi eating a burger. One was her drawing the smile on his face with ketchup. One was her holding a napkin out to his face. There was some text accompanying the pictures.

> A BAD BOY FOR SHOGI’S BAD GIRL?
> 
> Long have rumors persisted of the supposedly-reformed professional shogi cheater Hifumi Togo having a secret boyfriend, but so far nobody’s been able to provide any actual proof. It is well-known that she practices for her matches at a church in Kanda, and it is because of the holy nature of this practice site that most people are afraid to try and snoop around, held at bay by superstition. But now a rare photo of Togo out on the town has appeared, showing her shedding the calm and serious demeanor she usually displays during shogi matches and interviews as she engages in ketchup-based-flirtations with a boy her age at a Big Bang Burger in Shibuya. Fans of Togo’s on the Internet are speculating on the identity of this “Burger Clown”, and have codenamed him “Ronald-Kun”. What we want to know is what’s up with Ronald-Kun’s blonde hair? Is he a delinquent? Is the classy and composed teenage shogi player slumming it with a criminal? And if so, just how serious is she about her commitment to fair play in her future shogi matches? We thought Hifumi Togo just played shogi, but has she really been playing us the whole time? Just what kind of wild side is the strategic starlet hiding?

“Holy shit…” Ryuji read the article again to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. As he did, it dawned on him what kind of media circus he might find himself in the middle of. “This is… Oh man…”

“So…” The sound of his mother’s voice caused Ryuji to look away from the article. She was beaming at her son. “When do I get to meet her!?”

* * *

Ren and Makoto were curled up on the couch at Makoto’s apartment, watching the extended cut of “Like A Dragon”. Or rather, Ren had half of a blanket lazily strewn over him while Makoto was on the edge of her seat, leaning forward, eyes glued to the screen so intensely that Ren was pretty sure they were going to pop out of her sockets. At the moment, the main character of the film was shoving a man’s face through a urinal, causing it to shatter.

“Yikes” Ren said. “I don’t even wanna think about what happens when an open wound mixes with those kind of germs.”

“SHH!" Makoto lifted her finger and held it out towards Ren. She meant to hold it up in front of his lips, but since she was focused on the movie, her aim was off and she was roughly shoving it into the side of his face instead. Ren sighed, content to watch the muscle-bound hero toss another man through a window.

Ren's phone started ringing. Makoto glared at him and he fished it out of his pocket. He saw the call was from Ryuji, but felt like taking it right now would be a really bad idea, so he switched his phone to silent mode and dropped it on the couch. Once enough time had passed for the call to go to voicemail, Ren's phone started lighting up again. And again. And again. He looked over to see one missed call and five text messages from Ryuji. He covered one side of the phone with his hand so Makoto wouldn’t be distracted by the light and used his free hand to look at his message history.

> Ryuji: REN PICK UP
> 
> Ryuji: I’M SERIOUS MAN THIS IS NOT A JOKE
> 
> Ryuji: THIS IS A CODE RED SITUATION
> 
> Ryuji: I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU DUDE THIS CAN’T WAIT
> 
> Ryuji: C’MON REN CALL ME

“Hey,” Ren said, “can we pause the movie for a second?”

“What is it?” Makoto asked.

“It’s Ryuji. He’s got some kind of emergency.”

“You know he tends to exaggerate things. Can’t it wait?”

“I don’t think so. This seems serious.” Ren showed Makoto the messages.

“Fine.” Makoto pouted. She rewound the movie by one minute and then hit pause. “Call him.”

“Thank you.” Ren kissed Makoto on the cheek, causing her sour expression to break away. He called Ryuji’s phone. He didn’t even get through a single full ring before he heard Ryuji’s screaming voice.

“REN!” Ryuji sounded frantic. “OH MAN I WAS SO WORRIED YOU WEREN’T GONNA CALL!”

“Ryuji, calm down.” Ren tried to maintain his composure. Ryuji was really riled up, and Ren didn’t want to add to whatever stress he was feeling right now. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

“Oh man, this is really bad.” Ryuji stopped shouting, but his voice was still worried. “So, my mom-“

“Your mom!?” The words just blurted out of Ren's mouth. “Did something happen to her!?”

“Oh my goodness!” Makoto looked at the phone, her eyes widening.

“Dude, are you with Makoto right now?”

“That’s not important” Ren said. “Is your mom alright?”

“She’s fine!” Ryuji yelled curtly. “Was that Makoto I just heard right now!?”

“Yeah…” Ren looked at Makoto in confusion. “Is that a problem?”

“No, this might be better. I could use a girl’s opinion on this. Put her on. But like, don’t get off the phone. Is there a way I can talk to both of you at once!?”

“You mean, speaker phone?”

“Yeah, that! Do that!”

“Alright.” Ren put the phone down on the table in front of him and pressed the speaker button. He looked at Makoto. “He wants to talk to both of us.”

“Ryuji, this is Makoto!” Makoto leaned forward over the phone, shouting. “Are you ok!?”

“I can hear you just fine, you don’t gotta be so loud” Ryuji said.

“You’re the last person I want to hear that from!” Ren considered Ryuji lucky that he couldn’t see Makoto’s glare at the moment.

“Can we focus, please?” Ren turned to the phone. “Ryuji, tell us what’s going on.”

“Alright, so, like, y’know how I’ve been hangin’ out with Hifumi lately?”

“Hifumi Togo?” Makoto’s voiced was more than a little surprised. “You kept meeting with her after that time you filled in for Ren?”

“Yeah, she’s really cool” Ryuji said. “Why, is that weird?”

“I suppose not.” Makoto leaned back on the couch. “I know that Ann is still helping that fortune-teller design her shop, and I work at Crossroads some nights. It’s just a bit unexpected, is all.”

“Well, one of those pop rat guys got a picture of us and-“

“‘Pop rat’?” Ren asked.

“You know, those dudes who sneak around and take pictures of people in secret.”

“You mean ‘paparazzi’” Makoto said. “It’s Italian.”

“I dunno what _country_ the guy’s from, Makoto! All I know is that he took a picture of us at Big Bang Burger, and now we’re in an effin’ tabloid magazine!”

“Holy crap!” Ren yelled. “Did they publish your name!?”

“Nah, they blacked out my eyes. But they’re sayin’ all this stuff about Hifumi datin’ a delinquent and callin’ her the ‘Bad Girl of Shogi’ and stuff! What do I do!?”

“I don’t know” Ren said. “Makoto?”

“One moment.” Makoto was typing something on her phone.

“Have you talked to Hifumi about this yet?” Ren asked.

“Shit! I totally gotta do that!” Ryuji groaned. “And now my mom’s talkin’ about how she wants to meet my girlfriend. What am I gonna say to her?”

“Wait, so you guys ARE boyfriend and girlfriend!?”

“Of course not!”

“Well, these photos certainly give the opposite impression.” Makoto had pulled up the article on her phone and showed Ren the photos.

“Whoa, yeah.” Ren took Makoto’s phone to get a better look. “You two really look like you’re dating in these.”

“Well we’re not!” Ryuji sighed, and his voice got lower. “It’s not like Hifumi would ever waste her time datin’ some jerk like me anyway.”

“Hmm…” Makoto took back her phone and studied the pictures closely.

“‘Hmm’?” Ren cocked his eyebrow. “What’s so ‘Hmm’?”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Ryuji asked.

“Makoto ‘Hmm’d.”

“Really? What’s the ‘Hmm’ mean?”

“I don’t know. What’s on your mind, Makoto?”

“Yeah, spill it!”

“Well…” Makoto put down her phone. “Just what do you and Hifumi do when you’re together?”

“Uh… I dunno.”

“I’m certain that you do.”

“Well, like, usually she teaches me shogi. Then we hang out after. We’ll go to the arcade or get somethin’ to eat. One time we didn’t even play shogi first, we just went to a movie.”

“Well, if you don’t mind my saying, those sound like dates to me.”

“What!?”

“Huh, yeah.” Ren leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. “That _is_ pretty much date stuff, isn’t it?”

“We’re just friends, dude!” Ryuji’s voice was getting hoarse.

“Are you sure?” Makoto looked at the photos again. “Keep in mind that I’m far from an expert on this, but I don’t think most girls are usually this close with boys they’ve just met if they’re simply friends.”

“She’s got a point, Ryuji.” A very Joker-esque smile appeared on Ren's face. Ryuji couldn’t see it, but the change in Ren's tone conveyed it. “This isn’t like you and Ann, who’ve been friends for years. Plus, some of the stuff Hifumi’s told me makes me think that she might actually be kind of interested in you.”

“No way, dude. Even if that were true, there’s no way I could date Hifumi! I’m not even actually datin’ her and I’m already ruinin’ her reputation!”

“Ryuji,” Makoto said, “I’d like you to answer a question for me.”

“Yeah?” Ryuji sighed. “What?”

“Do you _want_ to date Hifumi?”

“Uh… I mean… Look, it’s like-“ An indecipherable digitized grumble came out of the phone’s speaker.

“I never thought I’d say this, but speak louder, Ryuji” Ren quipped.

“Yes! Okay!?” As Ryuji shouted, Ren turned down the volume on his phone by a few clicks. “I like her and I like hangin’ out with her and I think it’d be really cool if we were datin’! Is that what you wanna hear!?”

“So ask her out” Makoto said.

“I can’t do that!“

“Ryuji, you are my best friend and I love you like a brother, so listen to me” Ren said sternly. “There is a pretty, smart, and kind girl in the world who you like and who likes you back. This may very well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don’t screw it up.”

“But the tabloids-“

“You and Hifumi can figure that out together. You’re already facing the worst thing that could come with dating her. Why don’t you try seeing if you can get the actual benefits too?”

“Ren's right, Ryuji.” Makoto grabbed hold of Ren's hand. “There’s a very special kind of happiness that comes to you when you’ve found the right person. Don’t you deserve that just as much as anybody?”

“I mean, yeah, that sounds really nice the way you say it, but I’ve never actually done this kinda thing before.” Ryuji groaned. “What if she says yes and I totally blow it?”

“It’s a gamble, but you’ve just got to roll those dice” Ren said.

“Easy for you to say. You’ve got a girlfriend, so you don’t gotta worry about this kinda thing. I wish you could come with me or somethin’.”

“Somehow I think being seen in public with two men would only make the situation worse.”

“Although…” Makoto let go of Ren's hand and began rubbing her chin. “There might be a way…”

“Huh?”

“What is it!?” Ryuji asked.

“Well, if I came along too, we could make it a double date. Having Ren there might make things a bit less tense for both you and Hifumi, and my presence would make it less scandalous than her being out with two boys on her own.”

“That’s… not a bad idea” Ren said.

“It’s a great idea!” Ryuji’s voice was ecstatic. “Aw man, this is gonna be great! The four of us will-“

“Hold up, Ryuji” Ren was holding back laughter. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?” Ryuji asked.

“You have to actually ask Hifumi out first.”

“Shit! That’s right!” Ren and Makoto could hear Ryuji smacking himself in the head through the phone. “I’ll talk to you guys later! I got another call to make!”

“Later, Ryuji” Ren said.

“Good luck!” Makoto shouted.

The call ended and Ren smiled at Makoto.

“Smart thinking as always, Queen. Though I’ve got to say, I didn’t think you’d go that far for Ryuji.”

“I care about him too, you know. Besides…” Makoto put her hand on Ren's knee. “How could I not help somebody else find love after how wonderful it’s been for me?”

“You’re such a generous soul.” Ren began to ham it up. “But is there anything that _you_ desire, my darling?”

Makoto, not really being one for games, pulled Ren into a kiss. Their arms wrapped around each other, and they became intertwined on the couch.

As this was going on, Sae came home. Ren and Makoto were so enraptured in each other’s embrace that they didn’t notice her enter. She saw what they were up to, and frankly, was not impressed. If they’d been doing more than kissing she might have been scandalized, but she’d long since trained herself not to be repulsed by this kind of thing, figuring she’d inevitably walk in on this exact situation. All Sae wanted was to get a glass of water and go to bed.

Ren and Makoto’s romantic reverie was interrupted by the sound of the sink running. Realizing they were not alone, they broke off their kiss, and looked at the tall silver-haired woman who they now realized was in the room with them, their faces completely mortified.

“Relax” Sae said. She took her glass out of the sink and looked at them disinterestedly. “I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

Ren and Makoto tried to relax as she suggested, but could not. They knew that Sae had long since accepted their relationship, but both of them still had this mental image of her as a hard authoritarian, and the words she was saying didn’t seem to be registering. They were both frozen, staring at Sae awkwardly.

“This is only awkward if you make it awkward, you know.” Secretly, Sae was loving this. Although she was trying to change her image and general attitude, a small part of her still enjoyed knowing she could scare her younger sister and her boyfriend. Makoto may have been on the cusp of adulthood, but Sae wasn’t quite ready to stop thinking of her as a kid just yet. Especially since her all-work hardass attitude she’d adopted after her father’s death meant she had years of sisterly teasing to make up for. All she needed was some kind of grand finale and she could call it a night. Sae shifted her eyes to the TV screen, finding inspiration.

“So, that’s the kind of thing that makes you excited, huh?” The movie was paused on the image of a man’s face being brutally shoved into a urinal. “Well, I’ll try not to judge.” Sae coolly punctuated her statement by casually taking a sip of water as Ren and Makoto’s faces turned a ghostly white. She walked out of the room without saying another word. She simply couldn’t. If she opened her mouth again, she’d start laughing, and it would ruin the whole effect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my friend Hureno for the idea of Ryuji's mom learning about Hifumi through a tabloid article. We were just talking about the idea of the pairing and she dropped the idea, and I was like "Well damn, I have to use that now".


	2. Coffeehouse Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hifumi and Ryuji meet at LeBlanc to discuss their next move.

“Shit! That’s right!” Ryuji smacked himself in the head. “I’ll talk to you guys later! I got another call to make!”

“Later, Ryuji” Ren said over the phone.

“Good luck!” Makoto added.

Ryuji ended the call, pacing in circles around his room. He was jazzed up. He had momentum. He was gonna call Hifumi and ask her out! Yeah, he never really had a lot of luck with girls before, but this was different. This wasn’t some random hot chick he just walked up to on the beach and tried to impress by acting like a tool. This was somebody really cool he’d actually gotten to know as a person, who might actually like him back. He scrolled through the contacts on his phone, finding Hifumi listed among them. He tapped her name and her contact info came up. Ryuji’s finger hovered over the call button. He was gonna do this! He was gonna call Hifumi and say… Say… Um…

“Damn it!” Ryuji sat down on his bed, hunched over, thinking out loud. “What the hell do I say to her!? ‘Yo Hifumi, your rep’s in the trash already, wanna go out for real?’” Ryuji straightened up, a big dumb smile on his face. “‘Hey Hifumi, I know everything sucks now, but I bet you’ll feel better if we go on a date!’” Ryuji collapsed on the bed, all life leaving his face. “‘Yo, wanna run away to China and change our names?’”

Ryuji groaned and stared up at the ceiling, ruminating on how frustrating this was. All that confidence he’d had a second ago was gone, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t getting it back anytime soon. And really, just what the hell did he think he was doing? He figured that Hifumi already had to know about the article, so even if she might’ve been interested in Ryuji normally, there’s no way she’d say yes to a date now. Maybe the best thing Ryuji could do is just leave her alone, even if it’d totally suck. That’s just the way the world was. People judge somebody and make your life harder for surface-level bullshit. If this were just about Ryuji’s reputation, he wouldn’t give a damn. He was a delinquent and former Phantom Thief, halfway through his final year of high school with no goddamn idea what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Whatever future Ryuji had, it wasn’t worth keeping up appearances for. Most people talked shit about him already. If the rest of Tokyo or even the rest of Japan decided to judge him, it really wouldn’t change things that much.

But Hifumi was different. She’d worked her whole life to make a name for herself in the shogi world, and they already considered her a villain. Even though the only reason anybody knew about Hifumi’s fixed matches was because she came clean about it and ended them, they still talked down to her and acted like she was some kind of manipulative witch. It was unfair and it was lame and it showed just how terrible people could be, but Hifumi was awesome. And one day, the world would see that and change their minds about her. But not if Ryuji kept hanging around her. He’d just wind up dragging her down.

_YOU NEVER SEE IT COMIIIINNNNG…_

The pity party was interrupted by Ryuji’s phone. He held it up to dangle over his face and completely froze up when he saw it was a call from Hifumi.

_YOU’LL SEE THAT MY MIND IS TOO FAST FOR EYES_

Holy crap. Should he pick up? Of course not! He’d just run through all the reasons he shouldn’t talk to Hifumi anymore!

_YOU’RE DONE IIIIIINNNNNNNNNN…_

Wait… Hifumi was the one calling him. Which meant she wanted to talk to him. And she was way smarter than him, so that probably meant that things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

_BY THE TIME IT’S HIT YOU, YOUR LA-_

“Hey, Hifumi” Ryuji said nervously.

“Good evening, Ryuji.” Hifumi’s voice seemed equally nervous. “I apologize for calling so late. I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“Nah, I haven’t gone to sleep yet.”

“I see. That’s good.” Hifumi paused for a moment. Ryuji could feel the tension through the phone. He decided to give her the time she needed to find her words. “I’m afraid something rather unfortunate has happened.”

“The article, right?”

“Oh. So you’ve seen it too.”

“Yeah, my mom found it.”

“I imagine that must have been an awkward conversation.”

“Probably not as bad as your folks. I bet your mom must’ve flipped.”

“Well, before her change of heart, she might have. At the moment, she’s merely concerned.” Hifumi sighed. “We haven’t told my father about it yet.”

“Oh right, he’s sick, ain’t he?”

“Yes. We feared him seeing a scandalous article about me may be damaging to his condition.”

“Crap.” This was just getting worse and worse. “So what do we do now?”

“I’m not entirely certain. But I don’t want to discuss it over the phone. We should meet face-to-face as soon as possible.”

“Are you sure? If we’re seen in public-“

“Well, we can’t exactly visit each other’s homes, and everyone knows about the church now, so it’s just a risk we’ll have to take. It’s not optimal, but it’s not as if there’s some hidden-away place where we could find privacy.”

“Yeah, it’s totally- WAIT!” Ryuji sat up.

“What!?”

“I know a place like that!”

* * *

There was a time when LeBlanc’s customers found the constant presence of some teenager or another to be a bit strange. They’d long since gotten used to it. Which is why Sojiro didn’t have a problem with Ryuji taking up a corner booth all by himself for the whole afternoon. That kind of thing was a pretty normal sight these days. Well, there was one notable difference: Ryuji was sulking.

“Here.” Just as the sun had started going down, Sojiro placed a cup of coffee in front of Ryuji. As many times as he wished to see the kid calm and quiet, this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. His usual zeal was completely gone. As far as Sojiro was concerned, he only had two kids; Futaba and Ren. That said, he felt a certain amount of attachment to their extended friend group. It seemed like none of these kids really had a decent father figure in their lives, and somehow he’d wound up filling the hole for all of them. It was a pain in the ass, but at the same time, he just couldn’t stand to see any of them down in the dumps like this.

“Huh?” Ryuji stared at the cup, then looked up at Sojiro from his booth. “Uh, thanks, Boss, but I don’t really like-

“I put plenty of sugar in it.” Sojiro sat at one of the bar stools and crossed his arms. “You’re at the age when most people have already gotten into coffee. You should really start getting used to the taste of it already.”

“I guess.” Ryuji hesitantly took a sip. He seemed to get a bit of his energy back. “Yeah, I mean, it ain’t that bad this way.”

Sojiro was ready to verbally tear Ryuji a new one for his half-assed appraisal of his finely-honed brewing skills, but the kid hadn’t seemed to have recovered emotionally enough to handle it, so he just scoffed instead.

“Hey, Boss…” Ryuji looked at Sojiro uneasily for a second, then looked back down at his coffee. “I don’t wanna bug you or anything, but is it cool if I stick around here after closin’?”

“If you’re waiting for Ren, he’s gonna be a while” Sojiro said. “He’s helping out Yoshida tonight.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m waitin’ for someone else. I just dunno when they’re gonna get here.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s that?”

“It’s a girl. We-“

“Say no more.” Sojiro got his trademark know-it-all smirk on his face. “So long as you kids don’t make a mess of anything, you do what you’ve gotta do.”

“Thanks, Boss.” Ryuji took another sip of his coffee. He was really grateful for how cool Sojiro was. His own old man would’ve never been helpful like this. The moment was interrupted by the ringing of the bell above the cafe door. Sojiro and Ryuji both looked over.

“So this is where Ren lives” Hifumi said under her breath as she walked through the door. She saw Ryuji and was about to say hello to him, but then noticed the man in the pink shirt and apron looking at her curiously. “Oh, hello. Are you Bos- Um- Sakura-San?”

“Yeah.” Sojiro got out of the stool and walked around the counter. “And you are?”

“I’m Hifumi Togo.” She bowed to Sojiro. “I’m a friend of Ren's.”

“How do you take your coffee, Hifumi-Chan?”

“Coffee?” Hifumi looked around the cafe. It really was a lovely establishment. She hadn’t planned on it, but if the coffee was half as good as Ren said, it would be a shame not to have some while she was here. She reached into her bag, fishing out her wallet. “Regular, I suppose.”

“Put that away” Sojiro said, pointing to her wallet. He started filling a cup. “It’s on the house.”

“Are you certain?”

“Consider it the ‘Amamiya Discount’. My way of saying thanks for helping keep the kid out of trouble.”

Hifumi chuckled. “Very well then. Thank you.”

“Here you go.” Sojiro placed the cup on a saucer and walked out from behind the counter, heading towards the door. “You kids have a good evening.” He flipped the sign on the door to closed before walking out.

“Hm…” Hifumi stared at the door for a moment, before taking the coffee cup and sitting across from Ryuji. “He’s much less cranky than Ren described.”

“Yeah, well, he’s not a bad dude, but he’s always nicer to girls” Ryuji said.

“I see.” Hifumi took a sip of her coffee. Her eyes widened and she stared at it in disbelief.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Ryuji asked.

“Far from it.” Hifumi took another sip, smiling widely. “This is the best coffee I’ve ever had in my life.”

“I’ll tell Boss you said that.”

“Please do.” Hifumi looked Ryuji in the eyes, and the smile faded from her face. “So…”

“Yeah.” Ryuji pushed his coffee aside. It was better than most coffee he’d had, but he just wasn’t in the mood for it. “This is a real mess, ain’t it?”

“I suppose you could look at it that way.”

“If you wanna stop hangin’ out, I get it.” Ryuji sunk down into his booth seat. “This is a rotten situation to be in, and bein’ seen with me will just make it worse for you.”

“I have no desire to stop spending time with you, Ryuji.”

“Yeah, I don’t like it either, but-“

“Let me rephrase that.” Hifumi gave Ryuji a determined look. “I _refuse_ to stop spending time with you, Ryuji.”

“Seriously!?” Ryuji perked up, leaning forward on the table. “But if anybody sees us, they’re all gonna say that we’re datin’!”

“Well, they can keep saying that all they want. Because…” Hifumi trailed off, looking away from Ryuji. Her one visible cheek started to turn pink.

“Because what?”

“Because, if I’m being completely honest…” Hifumi lifted her coffee cup and took a massive gulp. She stared back at Ryuji, the pink gone from her face, and in it the same kind of fire she got in her eyes whenever she was about to take somebody’s king. “I WANT US TO BE DATING!”

“F’real!?” Ryuji’s jaw dropped. “But what about the tabloids? And your rep? They already said all that crap about you bein’ a cheater and-“

“None of that matters!” Hifumi slammed her hands on the table. “I didn’t start playing shogi to become famous. I would be lying if I said I didn’t at all enjoy the attention, but I don’t care if anybody judges me as a shogi player because of my personal life. My skill will speak for itself!” Hifumi started to blush again, but kept speaking with her caffeine-boosted confidence. “So forget what anybody else says! Let’s go on a date!”

Ryuji erupted into violent laughter. Hifumi’s blushing intensified.

“What are you laughing at!?”

“This is-“ Ryuji gasped for breath, trying to staunch the laughter. “This is so lame!“

“‘Lame’!?” Hifumi’s head hung low. “I’m sorry, I thought that you and I-“

“Whoa, no!” Ryuji was still laughing, and desperately wanted to stop. He reached across the table and grabbed Hifumi’s coffee. 

“What are you doing?” Hifumi looked up at him in confusion as he chugged the remaining contents into his mouth. His eyes watered up and he spit the coffee back into the cup.

“Blech!” Ryuji rubbed his tongue against the collar of his shirt. “This stuff’s so bitter!” Having successfully killed his laughter, he took a deep breath and then looked back at Hifumi. “I totally wanna go out with you. What’s so lame is that I was plannin' on askin' you out first. I mean, it’s the guy that’s supposed to do that kinda thing, ain’t it?”

“I see…” Hifumi let out a sigh of relief. “Is that sort of thing important to you?”

“I guess not. Either way, we’re goin’ on a date, right?”

“Yes, we are.”

There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment as they registered what just happened.

“HOLY CRAP!” Ryuji jumped out of his seat and yelled. “WE’RE GOIN’ ON A DATE!”

“Oh my goodness!” Hifumi rose out of her seat to be on Ryuji’s level. “We are!”

“Oh man, oh man, this is happenin’ so fast!” Ryuji rubbed the back of his head. “So, uh, what should we do?”

“Oh, yes, that’s a good question.” Hifumi fiddled with the red string in her hair. “I suppose our first official date should be something special, shouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, so I guess we shouldn’t do any of the stuff we usually do, huh?”

“Right.” Hifumi nodded. “So that means no shogi.”

“No arcade…” Ryuji sat back down in the booth.

“I suppose a movie would be a bit underwhelming as well, wouldn’t it?” Hifumi stood next to her booth seat, about to sit down, then moved to the other side of the table to sit with Ryuji.

Ryuji slid further into the booth, making room for Hifumi. He stared straightforward, averting his eyes from her, uncharacteristically silent.

“Is this alright with you?” Hifumi asked. “I’m not being too forward, am I?” Hifumi started to scooch out of the booth. “Perhaps you would be more comfortable if I-“

“No!” Ryuji grabbed Hifumi’s hand, stopping her. They both stared down at their linked hands wide-eyed. Ryuji started to let go, but Hifumi tightened her grip around it. She looked up at him and smiled. His heart started racing and he blushed. And then his brow furrowed. “This is so weak!”

“What?”

“We’re both eighteen and we’re actin’ all shy like a couple of little kids!”

“Well, you must admit…” Hifumi smirked at Ryuji. “You _do_ have a very childlike spirit.”

“Oh yeah!? Well how’s this!?” Ryuji let go of Hifumi’s hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “This is how a MAN does it!”

“You’re the epitome of masculinity, Ryuji.” Hifumi teased, but she was enjoying herself. She felt comfortable with Ryuji’s arm where it was. “You know, in a way, we could almost consider this our first date, couldn’t we?”

“No way!” Ryuji noticed Hifumi wince at him yelling right next to her and made the rare conscious decision to moderate his volume. “I mean, this place is great, but it’s kinda like a second home to me. If we’re gonna be serious about this, I wanna go out and do somethin’ really special!”

“Like what?”

“Like… Uh…” Ryuji groaned. “Man, I still don’t know.”

Hifumi and Ryuji sighed in tandem, both trying to think of something.

The bell above the door rang, and Ryuji and Hifumi saw Ren walk in. He stopped walking right after he stood in the door, staring at the two of them.

Ryuji and Hifumi silently stared back. Both of their faces turned red. Ren got a big grin on his face.

“You did it!” Ren ran over to the table and sat across from them. “You asked her out!” He held his hand up to Ryuji for a high five.

“Uh…” Ryuji half-heartedly returned the high five. “Actually, Hifumi asked me out.”

“Oh, nice!” Ren held his hand up to Hifumi, who returned the high five with about as much enthusiasm as Ryuji had. “So, where are you two going?”

“We’re still trying to figure that out” Hifumi said.

“Yeah, it’s tough.” Ryuji took his arm off Hifumi and leaned his elbows on the table. “All the stuff we normally like to do ain’t really like, big enough, y’know?”

“Well, Makoto’s offer still stands” Ren said.

“Oh yeah!” Ryuji perked up. “With how nervous I was all day I totally forgot about that!”

“What offer?” Hifumi asked.

“Ren's girlfriend Makoto thinks we should all go on a double date.”

“Makoto… That name sounds familiar…” Hifumi closed her eyes, trying to picture a face to go with the name.

“You met her at book town” Ren said.

“Oh yes!” Hifumi opened her eyes. “I liked her very much! You two are dating now?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a recent development, but yeah.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, doesn’t it?” Hifumi looked at Ryuji.

“Yeah, I’m down for it” he said.

“Great!” Ren jumped out of the booth and headed behind the counter. “I’ll ask Makoto if she had anything in particular in mind.” He started to pour himself a cup of coffee.

“You mean you don’t actually know the plan?” Ryuji asked.

“Nope.”

“ _Is_ there a plan?” Hifumi asked.

“I mean, I don’t know that for sure.” Ren came back to the table with his cup and sat down. “But since Makoto suggested it, I’m sure she already has a thoroughly-researched list of ten spots she’d consider ideal for a double date.”

“Yeah, she’s like that” Ryuji said.

“Anyway, we’ve got to have a toast!” Ren raised his coffee cup. “To your new relationship!”

Ryuji and Hifumi picked up their coffee cups and clinked them against Ren's. Ren and Hifumi went to take a sip of their coffee, but Ryuji grabbed Hifumi’s wrist.

“Wait, that’s got all my spit in it, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Hifumi put down her cup and pushed it away from her, a disgusted look on her face. Ryuji handed her his coffee.

“Take mine. I only sipped it like twice so it should be fine.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yeah. I don’t really like coffee anyway.”

“Alright then, thank you.” Hifumi took a sip of Ryuji’s cup, jumping in her seat a little. “It’s so sweet! Just how much sugar is in this?”

“I dunno, a bunch?” Ryuji folded his arms over his chest. “I told you I don’t really like coffee.”

“Hmm…” Ren stared at Hifumi, taking a sip of his own drink.

“What?” Hifumi asked.

“Ryuji, you were drinking that before?”

“Barely” Ryuji responded.

“But you _did_ drink from it.” Ren got a very Joker-like smile on his face.

“Yeah…” Ryuji cocked his eyebrow. “Why?” Hifumi slowly took another sip of coffee.

“So I guess you two are having what’s called an ‘indirect kiss’, right?”

Hifumi yelped and the coffee flew out of her mouth, hitting Ren in the face. She covered her mouth in embarrassment, and Ryuji started cracking up.

“This isn’t funny.” Ren glowered as he got up from the booth.

“You deserve it, dude!” Ryuji was still busting a gut. “It’s what you get for screwin’ with us like that!”

“He’s right, Ren.” Hifumi started giggling. “You should be much more considerate of your friends’ feelings.”

“Whatever.” Ren grabbed a towel from the kitchen and started wiping off his face as Ryuji and Hifumi continued laughing at him. He couldn’t stay mad for long. When he first caught on to Ryuji and Hifumi’s feelings for each other, he found it bizarre. But right now, being the subject of their shared amusement, they didn’t seem like such an odd couple after all.


	3. Fashion Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The location for the date is chosen, and Ryuji realizes he is woefully unprepared. He enlists some friends to help him out.

Ryuji was out for a morning run in the park when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He’d already been running for about half an hour, so he felt like he’d earned a break. He stopped on a park bench and pulled his cell phone out. In his messages, Ren had created a new group chat between the two of them, Makoto, and Hifumi.

> Ren: Hey guys. At Makoto’s urging, I’ve made a group chat so we can figure out plans for our double date.
> 
> Ryuji: Why didn’t Makoto just make the group chat herself?
> 
> Makoto: Because I didn’t have Togo-San’s chat ID.
> 
> Hifumi: There’s no need to be so formal. You can just call me “Hifumi” if you’d like.
> 
> Makoto: If that’s the case, I’d like for you to address me by first name as well.
> 
> Hifumi: Very well, Makoto.
> 
> Ryuji: So Ren said you got some ideas for dates?
> 
> Makoto: Well, I’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities, but seeing as this is the first time you two are going on a date, I would like to cater our plans for the evening to your desires.
> 
> Hifumi: Are you certain? We would hardly wish for you and Ren to have a dull time because of us.
> 
> Ren: Hanging out with you two, I don’t see that being a problem.
> 
> Ryuji: You’re damn right! We’re all gonna have a great time! It’ll be a party!
> 
> Makoto: A party? I didn’t realize you wanted something so intense. I suppose we could find some manner of club to go to…
> 
> Hifumi: Like a nightclub? That hardly sounds intimate.
> 
> Ryuji: Yeah, no, I don’t wanna like, go to some crazy party. I was just sayin’ that we oughta do somethin’ everyone’ll like.
> 
> Ren: Makoto and I have been on plenty of dates. We’re really fine with whatever makes you two comfortable.
> 
> Ryuji: Dude, don’t be lame.
> 
> Makoto: Huh?
> 
> Hifumi: I believe what Ryuji means is that there isn’t much of a point to us all going on a double date if it’s only about one couple.
> 
> Ryuji: Exactly! We got no idea what we’re doin’! Don’t ask us a buncha questions and stuff!
> 
> Makoto: But how are we supposed to craft your perfect first date experience without the proper data!?
> 
> Ren: Ease up, Makoto. You can’t force romance to happen.
> 
> Hifumi: That’s right. Is there anything in particular you and Ren have been wanting to try? I’m certain that anything that’s a novel experience for the two of you will be a novel dating experience for us as well.
> 
> Ren: Well, Makoto and I have never had a date where we play shogi in a church before.
> 
> Ryuji: Not helpin’, dude.
> 
> Hifumi: One would think you’d have learned your lesson about teasing after the events at the cafe last night.
> 
> Ryuji: Yeah, spit on him again!
> 
> Makoto: Spit!? What!?
> 
> Ren: It’s not as weird/gross as it sounds. You had to be there.
> 
> Makoto: I’m not certain I would want to be there.
> 
> Ryuji: Nah, it was hilarious.
> 
> Ren: Let’s just keep it simple. How about a classic dinner date?
> 
> Ryuji: What, like in a restaurant?
> 
> Ren: Yeah.
> 
> Ryuji: I mean, we’ve never done that so it’ll be new to us, yeah. But that ain’t excitin’ for you guys, is it?
> 
> Hifumi: Yes, won’t you find it droll?
> 
> Makoto: You’re putting far too much emphasis on excitement.
> 
> Ren: Seriously, you don’t have to shoot for some movie whirlwind romance right off the bat. Considering how young your relationship is and how passionate you both are, you’d get excited painting a fence together.
> 
> Ryuji: Is that a thing people do?
> 
> Hifumi: Hm… It’s hardly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “dating”, but I imagine there’d be a certain zen quality to it.
> 
> Makoto: There might be something to that hypothesis…
> 
> Ren: I’m not letting Ryuji near me with a bucket of paint.
> 
> Ryuji: Heh. That’s fair.
> 
> Ren: So yeah, instead of getting experimental, let’s just fall back on the dinner plan.
> 
> Hifumi: Yes, dinner for four at a nice restaurant sounds lovely.
> 
> Makoto: Oh! I believe I have a place in mind!
> 
> Ren: Is this that French restaurant you’ve been telling me about?
> 
> Ryuji: French?
> 
> Ren: You know. Food from France.
> 
> Ryuji: I know what “French” means!
> 
> Hifumi: Tell us about this restaurant, Makoto.
> 
> Makoto: It’s called “Chez Emelie”. I saw a feature about it on television. The food is supposed to be very good.
> 
> Ren: It’s also supposed to be very expensive.
> 
> Ryuji: It's not like we can’t afford it. We still got tons of cash left over from when we were Phantom Thieves.
> 
> Makoto: Ryuji!
> 
> Ryuji: What?
> 
> Makoto: You just told Hifumi that we were all Phantom Thieves!
> 
> Ren: Relax, Makoto. She already knows.
> 
> Makoto: She does!?
> 
> Hifumi: Well, I told Ren about my mother’s misdoings, and not too long after, the Phantom Thieves stole her heart. The bigger picture became clear from there.
> 
> Ren: See? Everything’s fine.
> 
> Hifumi: Yes, and then I assumed that Ryuji was a Phantom Thief by association when Ren sent him as his shogi replacement.
> 
> Hifumi: Still, I didn’t know that you were also a Phantom Thief, Makoto. It seems that we’ll have a great deal to discuss over dinner.
> 
> Makoto: I suppose if you’re going to be dating Ryuji, it was unavoidable. So we’re all agreed on Chez Emilie?
> 
> Ren: I’m fine with it if everyone else is.
> 
> Hifumi: I’m sure it will be a wonderful culinary experience!
> 
> Ryuji: A fancy French restaurant, huh? I guess that’s a pretty special place to go on our first date. I’m in.
> 
> Makoto: Wonderful! I’ll see about making a reservation immediately! I imagine we’ll have to wait at least a week for an opening. What does everyone’s schedule look like?
> 
> Ryuji: I never got plans at night.
> 
> Ren: If I’ve got a date, none of my friends will mind if I cancel on them.
> 
> Hifumi: I don’t have any matches lined up until next month, so I’m free for the next few weeks.
> 
> Makoto: Excellent! The restaurant doesn’t open until the afternoon, so I’ll let you all know when I’ve made the reservation.

Ryuji put away his phone and continued his run. He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of going to some fancy French place. He remembered when he and Makoto had sat down in that restaurant in Shido’s palace. He’d never heard of any of the food on the menu before, and it seemed like Makoto had practically been speaking another language as she ordered. Ryuji was a man of simple tastes. He liked meat and ramen. The only thing he put in his mouth that most other people didn’t was protein powder-infused water when he was working out. Even without his blonde hair, he’d stick out like a sore thumb in some gourmet place. Still, he figured that with three geniuses alongside him, he’d find something to eat. The French were supposed to be the best cooks in the world or something. They probably figured out how to make the best steak in the world, right?

A couple hours later, Ryuji had finished his run and returned home, jumping in the shower. As he was getting dressed afterwards, his phone pinged.

> Makoto: I got us a table for four on Saturday at 8 PM.
> 
> Ren: Thanks, Makoto.
> 
> Hifumi: Thank you for arranging this! I’m looking forward to it!
> 
> Ryuji: Me too. Thanks.
> 
> Makoto: Remember, this is a high-class establishment, so dress nicely.
> 
> Hifumi: Of course.
> 
> Ren: I recently bought some formal wear. Then Boss spent an hour telling me why all of it was crap and told me where to find better stuff. So I’ve got some really nice shirts I’ve been looking forward to wearing.
> 
> Makoto: Ryuji? Do you have anything decent in your closet?
> 
> Ryuji: Quit actin’ like a mom, Makoto. I’m not a little kid. I can dress myself, y’know.
> 
> Makoto: Of course. My apologies.
> 
> Ryuji: It’s fine. See you guys Saturday.

This was not fine. Every alarm bell in Ryuji’s head went off at once. He frantically shot off a new message on his phone.

> Ryuji: I need your help.

* * *

Haru hummed as she neared the Takenoko Street sign. She wasn’t certain why Ryuji had asked her to meet with him in Harajuku, but seeing as he was being very secretive about it and refusing to tell her why through a text message, she was certain it must be important. To her surprise, upon arrival, she saw not a familiar blonde-haired boy standing under the sign, but a familiar blue-haired boy instead.

“Good day, Yusuke-Kun!” Haru waved to her lanky friend as she neared him.

“Hm?” Yusuke looked towards her upon hearing his name. “Oh, hello Haru. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

“Nor I you!” Haru stopped in front of Yusuke. “Are you here people-watching?” Haru had heard of the various ways Yusuke tried to draw inspiration for his art. She found it all fascinating, but they rarely had the chance to discuss it at length.

“Not today.” Yusuke was about to shake his head when a look of realization dawned on his face. “Well, I suppose I am at the moment, but only as a means to pass the time. I’m waiting for Ryuji. He’s supposed to meet me here soon.”

“Ryuji-Kun asked me here as well!” Haru’s smiled widened at the realization that she’d be spending the afternoon with two of her friends, but it quickly disappeared and the corners of her mouth curled downwards in worry. “Oh my…”

“What’s wrong?” Yusuke asked.

“Did Ryuji-Kun tell you why he wanted to meet us here?”

“I’m afraid not. He was uncharacteristically tight-lipped regarding that subject.”

“I see. I hope he’s not in some sort of trouble.” Haru looked down at her feet, then back up at Yusuke. “For him to call two of us here must mean he’s in some dire situation.”

“I’m not so certain of that.” Yusuke slowly started scanning the crowd around them with his eyes. “I believe if Ryuji were truly in distress, he would have summoned all of our group, not just the two of us. It’s possible that this is a social outing.”

“I hope you’re right, Yusuke-Kun.” Haru gave him a small smile, but there was still some concern in her eyes. “But since he requested our help, I can’t help but worry. Usually the only reason Ryuji asks for assistance is because of schoolwork, and I can’t imagine he’d have us meet him in Harajuku for that.”

“Well…” Yusuke’s eyes fixed on one point in the distance. “We won’t have to ponder the matter much longer.”

Haru looked in the direction Yusuke had fixed on. Sure enough, there was a spiky blonde mess of hair sprinting in their direction. He was advancing quickly, dodging and weaving through the crowd with a surprising amount of grace. Haru found it quite entertaining, while Yusuke found Ryuji’s unaltered advance almost artful in its execution. Just witnessing this made them both feel like the trip was worth it.

“Hey guys.” Ryuji stopped in front of Haru and Yusuke, hands on his knees, panting heavily. He was used to running in straight lines, not making his way through human obstacle courses, so he was a little worse for wear. “Thanks for comin’.”

“Are you well, Ryuji?” Yusuke’s keen artistic eye noticed a small bead of sweat fall directly from Ryuji's forehead to the ground.

“I’m fine.” Ryuji wiped his brow and stood up straight. “Just wanted to get here fast as I could.”

“Yes, but is everything else alright?” Haru asked. “You’re not in any trouble, are you, Ryuji-Kun?”

“Uh… No.” Ryuji assumed his usual hands-in-pockets stance. “Why wouldja think that?”

“You requested our help and were very secretive as to why” Yusuke said. “It is reasonable for such behavior to lead to worry.”

“Aw crap. Sorry if I freaked you guys out.” Ryuji leaned against a nearby wall. “I ain’t in any trouble or nothin’, it’s just kinda embarassin’ and I didn’t want Futaba to see it in case she hacked our messages.”

“I see. That _is_ a valid concern.” Yusuke frowned as he recalled how Futaba would frequently send him sudden messages whenever he took a picture of a new piece. Usually it was just her telling him to add more trees. He had painted about six impromptu forests before he realized she was trolling him.

“Well, we’re here now, so it’s time to tell us, Ryuji-Kun.” Haru gave Ryuji a reassuring smile. “Whatever the issue is, we promise not to make fun of you.”

“Indeed.” Yusuke nodded.

“Thanks, guys.” Haru and Yusuke’s kindness was one of the main reasons Ryuji’d reached out to them. Haru didn’t have a mean bone in her body so long as she didn’t have a weapon in hand, and Yusuke could be blunt, but he was never cruel about it. “So the thing is, I got this fancy dinner comin’ up and I need somethin’ nice to wear, but I don’t got anythin’ like that in my closet. You two are the classiest people I know, so I was hopin’ you’d help me find somethin’”

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Haru bounced on her heels a little. “I’d be happy to help, Ryuji-Kun!”

“As would I” Yusuke said. “In a way, fashion is an art in itself. Though considering that this is about clothes, should not Ann be here as well?”

“That’s right! Ann-Chan knows more about fashion than anybody!” Haru pulled out her phone. “I’ll ask her if she’s free to join us. I’m sure she-“

“NO!” Ryuji grabbed Haru’s phone out of her hand. “Ann can’t know about this!”

“Why not?” Yusuke asked.

“‘Cuz… This ain’t just any dinner I’m goin’ to.” Ryuji sighed and handed Haru back her phone. “I’m goin’ on a date.”

“That’s wonderful, Ryuji-Kun!” Haru actually hopped off the ground in excitement that time.

“Yes, congratulations!” Yusuke grabbed Ryuji’s hand and shook it vigorously. “This is truly a sign of growing maturity on your part!”

“I dunno ‘bout all that…” Ryuji’s arm flopped arm limply as Yusuke’s enthusiastic congratulatory gesture continued.

“May I ask with whom?” Haru’s eyes were so bright Ryuji felt like he had stage lights on him as she stared at him. “Is it anybody we know?”

“Well, Yusuke might know her” Ryuji said.

“Is that so?” Yusuke finally let go of Ryuji’s hand. “I’m hard-pressed to think of any mutual acquaintances you and I would have that Haru is unfamiliar with.”

“It’s Hifumi.”

“Togo-San!?” Yusuke’s eyes got as wide as Ryuji thought they possibly could. “My, that _is_ a surprise.”

“‘Togo’? Hifumi Togo? The shogi player?” Haru looked at Ryuji in surprise. “That’s right! You assisted her during that week Ren-Kun was sick! I didn’t realize you got along so splendidly.”

“AHA!” Yusuke pointed to Ryuji’s hair. “Blonde hair!”

“Uh… What?” Ryuji took a step back at the outburst.

“Ryuji-Kun’s had blonde hair as long as we’ve known him, Yusuke-Kun” Haru said.

“No! That is- What I mean to say is, there have been rumors about at Kosei lately about Togo-San having a secret boyfriend who is a blonde-haired delinquent.” Yusuke smiled at Ryuji, his voice returning to its usual calm timbre. “So _you’re_ the infamous ‘Ronald-Kun’ of rumor.”

“People are still talkin’ about it, huh?” Ryuji groaned.

“What does ‘Ronald-Kun’ mean?” Haru asked.

“I’m afraid I am not privy to that information” Yusuke said.

“Ryuji-Kun, do you know?”

“Yeah” Ryuji grumbled. “So last week, me and Hifumi were at Big Bang Burger…”

Ryuji told them the whole story. About the ketchup, the photographer, the tabloid article, even his and Hifumi’s talk at LeBlanc. Haru and Yusuke both tried to suppress proud smiles during the story for the sake of Ryuji’s pride, but they were doing a poor job of it.

“…so I didn’t wanna ask Ren and Makoto for help with this too, ‘cuz then it’d feel too much like they were chaperonin’ me or coachin’ me or somethin’.”

“And you don’t wish for Futaba to know because she would pester you about it to no end” Yusuke said.

“Ann-Chan would similarly tease you too, I imagine.” Haru giggled. “I’m certain it wouldn’t be as malicious as Futaba-Chan, but given how close you two are, she most likely wouldn’t be able to help herself.”

“Exactly!” Ryuji breathed a sigh of relief. Haru and Yusuke were both usually off in their own little worlds — especially Yusuke — but they understood the dynamics of their friend group. “And Mona can’t know either!”

“My lips are sealed, Ryuji” Yusuke said.

“As are mine!” Haru made a zipper motion across her mouth.

“Thanks, guys.” Ryuji turned towards the shops. “Now let’s find me some duds!”

* * *

The first outfit was picked by Yusuke. Ryuji felt ridiculous as he stepped out of the dressing room. Yusuke had somehow talked him into putting on a bizarre plaid shirt with two clashing patterns running diagonally parallel to each other other. One half was yellow with black and grey lines running across it. The other half was black with yellow and brown lines intersecting over it. On his legs were plain black slacks with a brown belt, and on his feet were banana-yellow loafers.

“What the hell is this!?” Ryuji looked at the sleeves of the shirt disdainfully. The mismatched arms were making his head hurt.

“I asked myself, ‘what is the essence of Ryuji Sakamoto?’” Yusuke said proudly. He began making a frame with his fingers and peeked at Ryuji’s shirt through it. “I understand that asymmetrical designs are quite fashionable right now, and it certainly suits you. The skewed design reflects your thuggish tendencies. The bright yellow is like your hair, a statement to the world that you will not conform, will not be caged by society’s rules.” Yusuke moved his finger-frame to capture Ryuji’s lower body. “The black pants and brown belt reflect your simple and earnest nature. You are a salt of the earth fellow, one who is not much for pomp and circumstance. But then the yellow shoes are a reminder of your rebellious side, telling the world not to confuse your traditional vestments below the waist for compliance with the established order. Any adherence to convention you display is purely coincidental, and you only do it because it suits you. You aim to impress no one!”

“But I AM tryin’ to impress someone!” Ryuji marched over to Yusuke. “I’m tryin’ to make myself look nice for Hifumi!”

“And in this, you shall! But without compromising your true self!” Yusuke threw his hands in the air in a grand fashion. “Take a bow, Ryuji! Or do not! Stand tall and proud! This outfit is a masterpiece! It is a sculpture of your inner-self, rendered from fabrics and leather!”

“It’s too much! I’m not tryin’ t'be some kinda exhibit, I’m goin’ on a date! I’m gonna be eatin’ food and talkin’ and tryin’ to look like I belong in a fancy restaurant!”

“I’m afraid I must agree, Yusuke-Kun.” Haru stared at Ryuji, deep in thought. “It is a lovely outfit, and I agree with you that it matches Ryuji-Kun’s personality marvelously. But it hardly meets the goal of looking presentable for a date.”

“I see…” Yusuke frowned and tilted his head downward slightly. “You are both correct. I was so focused on trying to create a look that screamed ‘Ryuji’ that I lost sight of the outfit’s purpose. What do you suggest, Haru?”

“Ryuji-Kun, go back into the dressing room and take off those clothes. I shall return shortly with something new for you to try on.”

Haru’s outfit was certainly different from Yusuke’s.

“OH HELL NO!” Ryuji shouted from the other side of the dressing room door. “I AM NOT WEARIN’ THIS IN PUBLIC!”

“Oh, let us see, Ryuji-Kun!” Haru pleaded. “I am certain that it looks wonderful on you!”

“I can’t let anybody see me in this!”

“It is probably not as bad as you say, Ryuji” Yusuke replied. “Allow us to see the outfit in action. Perhaps an outside perspective will make you reconsider your view.”

“Is anybody else out there?”

“No, it’s just us” Haru said.

“Fine, but this kinda feels like a prank. You better not have cameras ready when I come out!”

“I promise you we have no such intentions” Yusuke said.

There was a lot of angry mumbling, followed the the swinging of the dressing room door. Ryuji stepped out wearing a puffy pink shirt with all kinds of frills and a checkered purple ascot. Even more audacious, Haru had somehow located some white pants with pink and purple hearts all over them. They were complimented by white shoes.

“Doesn’t it just scream ‘romance’?” Haru asked excitedly

“This is the worst thing I’ve ever worn in my life” Ryuji said.

“It’s rather gaudy” Yusuke said.

“You really think so?” Haru asked. The was a note of sadness in her voice. “I thought it was pretty.”

“Well, I do get a certain sense of love from it. But all of those pastels remind me of an Easter egg. He will stick out far too much in a French restaurant.” Yusuke turned his attention to Ryuji. “Do you think you could convince the others to change the locale of the date to somewhere more fitting to the outfit?”

“What” Ryuji said flatly.

“Oh yes!” Haru perked up again. “Perhaps a walk through a flower garden!”

“Could there be some manner of fair nearby?” Yusuke wondered.

“I am NOT going out in public wearin' this!” Ryuji shook his head and arms. “It ain’t me at all!”

“I thought we had decided against putting together an outfit that matches your personality, Ryuji-Kun” Haru said.

“Yes, you did specifically want an outfit for a date” Yusuke added.

“For the date I’m goin’ on! We can’t just change plans ‘cause of my outfit, and there’s no way I’m wearin’ this anywhere anyway!” Ryuji stormed back into the dressing room. “I’m gettin’ out of this!”

“He is difficult to shop for” Yusuke said. “I do wonder how his mother put up with it when he was a child.”

“I'm not so certain about that, Yusuke-Kun” Haru responded.

“Ah, yes. His delinquent phase is relatively recent, isn’t it?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Haru turned to Yusuke. “I believe we may be overcomplicating things.”

“Really? How so?” Yusuke looked at Haru with an expression of slight surprise.

“We have been trying to dress up Ryuji-Kun in outfits with some greater meaning, but that’s not really what he needs. He doesn’t have to express his inner self or wear the emotion of love on his sleeve, he just has to appear presentable for dining in a formal setting.”

“I see. I suppose clothing is more utilitarian before anything else, isn’t it?” Yusuke sighed. “What a waste of colorful fabrics.”

“There is no need to be so glum, Yusuke-Kun.” Haru pumped her fist. “I am certain if the two of us combine our efforts, we can find Ryuji-Kun an outfit that suits his sensibilities and makes him look sharp to boot!”

“Very well!” Yusuke’s eyes filled with determination. “Our mission is to help Ryuji steal Togo-San’s heart! It is something only we can do, Noir!”

“That’s right, Fox!” Haru giggled. While the group as a whole tried not to linger on the Phantom Thieves days, all of them missed it, and there was a tendency among every one of them to jump at the chance to do anything vaguely reminiscent of their heyday. “Let us begin the infiltration!”

Ryuji stepped out of the dressing room a minute later, wearing his normal clothes. He looked around in confusion, wondering where Haru and Yusuke had gone. The little alcove where the dressing rooms were located was cut off from the rest of the department store, with only one hallway leading out.

“They musta gone to grab somethin’ else.” Ryuji dropped down on a bench in the middle of the room, waiting for Haru and Yusuke to return. He waited around for a couple minutes before laying down on the bench and pulling out his phone. He’d downloaded a shogi app so he could try and get some extra practice for matches against Hifumi and his mom, but he was still playing at the easiest difficulty level. Still, this match was going well so far. He’d captured both of the computer’s lancers and had only lost pawns himself.

“Ryuji?”

Ryuji sat up at hearing his name in a surprised tone. When he saw Ann standing at the entrance of the dressing room area, his heart started racing.

“Oh, uh… Hey, Ann.” Ryuji tried to act cool and casual. He was not succeeding. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“Shopping, obviously.” Ann held up a bunch of summer dresses on hangers. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“Y’know, just hangin’ out.”

“In the dressing rooms of a department store.”

“What? Is that weird?”

“Yes.” Ann got mad and put her hands on her hips. “This isn’t one of your dumb schemes to hit on girls, is it!?”

“What!? How would that even work? ‘Hey there gorgeous, I’m just sittin’ here for no reason, wanna make out?’”

“You’re right. Even you’re not enough of a dope to think that’d work.” Ann’s attitude lightened up. “So what _are_ you doing here? Are you shopping?”

“I-“

“Ryuji-Kun!” Haru came running in with Yusuke trailing behind her, holding a blue suit. “We found something!”

“Haru! And Yusuke too!?” Ann turned to the unexpected pair. “Are you all here together?”

“As a matter of fact, we are” Yusuke said. “We’re here to-“

“Get Yusuke a suit!” Ryuji jumped up and walked over to Yusuke and Haru. “He’s got some big art thing comin’ up and thought he’d dress all spiffy for the occasion!” Ryuji eyed the suit Yusuke was holding. “Blue, huh? Yeah, that’s a good look for you! It’ll match your hair!”

“Ryuji, please.” Yusuke gave Ryuji the stink eye. “I would never go to a gallery in-“

“That suit’s too short for Yusuke” Ann said. Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. “But it’s just the right size for you, Ryuji.”

“Is it?” Ryuji ran his fingertip along a pant leg. “Huh. You’re right. Yusuke, is this some kinda artistic statement or-“

“Ryuji…” Ann put her hand on his shoulder. “Why are you lying to me about buying a suit?”

“I ain’t!”

“Uh-huh.” Ann suddenly put Ryuji into a headlock and started noogying him. “You wanna try that again?”

“HEY! CUT THAT OUT!”

“Haru,” Ann asked, “is that suit for Ryuji?”

“That’s right, Ann-Chan” Haru said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Ann let go of Ryuji.

“Haru!” Ryuji started rubbing his scalp. “Why’d you tell her that!?”

“I’m terribly sorry, Ryuji-Kun. But you seemed to be in pain.” Haru kept smiling as she stated that fact. “Furthermore, I was concerned that if Ann-Chan kept abusing your scalp like that, your hair would begin to fall out, and that would less than ideal when the time came for your big da-“ Haru’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

“What was that?” Ann asked. Her hostile mood disappeared and a mirthful smirk replace it. “Did you just say Ryuji’s got a da-“

“Day full of big interviews, yup!” Ryuji said. “Goin’ lookin’ for a job, gotta look my best, y’know?”

“You realize there are like ten things wrong with that story, right?”

“No there ain’t.”

“ _Ry-uuujiii…_ ” Ann said in a sing-song voice. She linked her hands behind her back and grinned. “Who’s the girl?”

“I dunno what you’re talkin’ about.” Ryuji turned his back to Ann. “There ain’t no girl.”

“So it’s a guy, then? You know, I always kind of wondered if you were trying to compensate for something…”

“Fine!” Ryuji turned back to Ann. “It’s a girl!”

“So who is she? C’mon, tell me!” Ann started poking Ryuji’s arm over and over. “Is she a bad girl? Is she in a gang? Did you meet in a street fight!? Was it love at first punch!?”

“Knock that off!” Ryuji slapped Ann’s wrist away. “It’s Hifumi, ok!?”

“Hifumi… Togo?” Ann rubbed her wrist. “Stop lying, Ryuji!”

“He’s not lying, Ann” Yusuke said.

“What!?”

“Ryuji-Kun is indeed going on a date with Hifumi Togo” Haru added. “In fact, it’s a double date with Ren-Kun and Mako-Chan!”

“No way!”

“Way” Yusuke said plainly. The other three all felt strange hearing it come out of his mouth. “Multiple rumors around Kosei High corroborate Ryuji’s claims.”

“Seriously!?” Ann turned to Ryuji. “ _You’re_ going on a date with Hifumi Togo?”

“Yup” Ryuji said.

“The shogi player.”

“Yes.”

“The teenage genius.”

“Uh-huh.”

“ _She’s_ going on a date with _you_.”

“Yes!”

“You asked her out.”

“She asked me out.”

“BWAHAHAHA!” Ann fell down, literally rolling on the floor laughing.

“Oh come on!” Ryuji looked down at Ann, blushing violently. “What’s so funny!?” Ann looked up at Ryuji, eyes leaking tears of laughter, gasping for breath.

“EVERYTHING!” she said. She slowly sat up, taking deep breaths, her laughter gradually slowing down. Haru walked over and helped Ann up to her feet. When it finally seemed like Ann had stopped laughing, she looked at Ryuji again, her lips still curled up into a ridiculous smile.

“Are you done yet?” Ryuji asked.

“I think so.” Ann wiped the leftover tears from her eyes. She looked over to the suit Yusuke was holding. “Well, put it on.”

“With you here!?”

“Yes, with me here!”

“Don’t you got your own stuff to try on!?” Ryuji pointed to the dresses Ann was carrying.

“These can wait. Your thing’s much more important. C’mon!” Ann sat down on the bench and clapped her hands. “Chop chop!”

Ryuji grumbled as he grabbed the suit from Yusuke and walked back into the dressing room. Haru and Yusuke sat down on the bench with Ann, making small talk while waiting for Ryuji to come out. When he finally emerged, He was in a blue three-piece suit with a white shirt, black tie, and black shoes.

“This ain’t that bad” Ryuji said.

“Well, c’mon.” Ann spun her finger in the air. “Give us a twirl.”

“Seriously?”

“We must see the ensemble from all angles” Yusuke said.

“Fine.” Ryuji spun around, the suit jacket flapping up a bit. Ann stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled, while Haru clapped her hands. Yusuke just nodded in approval.

“You look very sharp, Ryuji-Kun!” Haru said.

“It's not half bad” Ann said. “Blue’s a good color on you, Ryuji.”

“That was my idea” Yusuke said. “Blue and yellow are complimentary colors, after all.”

“Yeah, it’s nice, but why a three-piece suit?”

“Ryuji-Kun, could you please remove the jacket for a moment?” Haru asked.

“‘Kay.” Ryuji took off the jacket, leaving the shirt and vest in place.

“This way, even if he decides to remove his jacket in the restaurant for comfort, he’ll still look debonair!”

“That’s smart, Haru!” Ann rubbed her chin. “It still needs a little something, though.”

“Like what, Ann-Chan?”

“Yes, what?” Yusuke asked.

“Well, it’s not _bad,_ but don’t you think it’s a little dull?”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Ryuji asked exasperatedly.

“I’ll be right back.” Ann dashed out of the room. She returned a minute later and shoved a box into Ryuji’s arms. “Try this.”

“Do I gotta?” Ryuji looked at the outfit he was wearing. “I think we found a winner already.”

“Just trust me, ok?”

“Fine.” Ryuji returned to the dressing room. When he emerged, the black tie and shoes had been replaced with a red tie and some reddish-brown shoes.

“Remarkable!” Yusuke exclaimed.

“Oh, it’s so colorful!” Haru added.

“Yup!” Ann smiled proudly. “A pop of color’s just what you needed to make it perfect!”

“Alright, I admit it.” Ryuji looked down at the suit. “This is awesome.” He looked back up at the three sitting on the bench. “Thanks, guys.”

“You don’t have to say ‘thanks’, Ryuji.” Ann stood up, heading for another dressing room with the dresses she’d grabbed earlier. “Once we’re done here, you’re buying us all crepes!”

“Oh! That sounds delicious!” Haru placed a hand on her stomach. “Truthfully, I was beginning to feel a bit peckish, so this is very good timing!”

“I’d like ice cream, myself” Yusuke said.

“Alright, fair’s fair. I owe you guys.” Ryuji went back into the dressing room and started changing back into his normal clothes. Once he got his pants back on, he took out his wallet and started counting the money in it.

From the other side of the door, a load groan could be heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is by far the most fun I've ever had writing Ann. I wish I could figure out an angle for her when she's not bouncing off Ryuji.


	4. The Big Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji and Hifumi finally go on their double date with Ren and Makoto.

Ryuji was incredibly nervous as he walked down the street to Chez Emelie. A lot of people stared at him as he walked past. They weren’t the normal stares of revulsion either, more stares of confusion. He was sure it was a response to his outfit and his hair. A kid with his hair dyed like a punk wearing a suit was an oddity. He also wasn’t used to having his hair combed back, but Ann insisted that he couldn’t put all the effort into dressing up for a date and leave his hair a wild mess. On the bright side, that probably meant Ren would have to somehow manage that big old tangle on his head, so Ryuji probably wouldn’t be alone. Honestly, seeing Ren actually do something with his hair for once would probably be hilarious.

“Hey, Ryuji!”

Ryuji turned around to see Ren running up to him. His outfit wasn’t quite as elaborate as Ryuji’s. He was dressed in black shoes and slacks and a crimson button-down shirt with a black tie. And his hair was… exactly the same as it always was.

Ren whistled as he caught up to Ryuji. “That’s some suit. You really went all out.”

“Well, y’know, we don’t all have a year-long relationship in our pocket that lets us half-ass it.” Ryuji playfully punched Ren on the arm.

“Hey, I did my time. You’ve still got to woo Hifumi before she comes to her senses” Ren jibed. He pointed to Ryuji’s head. “Nice hair, by the way.”

“Yuck it up while you can. By the end of the night, Hifumi’s gonna agree to go on a second date with me!”

“You really shoot for the stars, huh Ryuji?”

“Dude, are you gonna be like this the whole night?”

“Relax. I’m just getting it out of my system.” Ren elbowed Ryuji in the shoulder as they continued down the street. “I’m rooting for you guys. Once we get to the restaurant, I’m playing wingman for the rest of the night.”

“Thanks, dude.” Ryuji’s found his nerves calming a little.

“At the same time, Makoto and I have never done a double date before, so there’s the slightest chance that she’ll get weirdly competitive and try to show you guys who’s the better couple.” Ren stared at Ryuji solemnly. “In that case, all bets are off.”

Ryuji started snickering and looked at Ren. Ren's face was dead serious. Ryuji promptly stopped laughing.

After a couple minutes, the two arrived outside of the restaurant. Makoto was already waiting for them, dressed in a sleeveless ankle-length white dress with a slit down the side that exposed the lower half of her left leg. She had a matching white sash tied around the waist, and had also forgone her usual braided headband for a non-braided white one that matched her dress. Adding color to her bright white ensemble were some brown sandals, a brown purse, and her light-pink lipstick, which was perhaps only a shade off from her actual lip color. Those lips smiled at the boys’ arrival.

“There you are!” Makoto ran over to Ren and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him into a quick kiss. It lingered for a second, then she broke it off. There was some lipstick on Ren's face.

“Good evening, Makoto” Ren unknowingly said through pink-stained lips.

“That’s a good look for you, dude” Ryuji teased.

“Hush, you.” Makoto took a handkerchief out of her purse and wiped the pink smudge off Ren's face. She turned to Ryuji with surprise in her eyes. “I must say, you clean up well, Ryuji. When you told me you had something decent in your closet, I thought for a moment you were just trying to pacify me. I certainly never expected anything on this level.”

“I’m full of surprises.” Ryuji ignored the knowing side-eye Ren was giving him. “Is Hifumi here yet?”

“No, I’ve only been here a few minutes myself.”

“Aw man, I hope she ain’t lost or somethin’.”

“Calm down.” Ren checked his watch. “We’ve still got eleven minutes until our reservation.”

The trio continued waiting, Ryuji becoming more nervous with each minute that passed. Ren and Makoto had to continually reassure him that Hifumi had not changed her mind and was not bailing on him. When there were five minutes left, he took out his phone and just decided to call her.

Hifumi was a block away, en route to the restaurant. She could see Ryuji’s blonde hair in the distance, and entered a state of hyper-focus like when she was in a tough spot in a shogi match. There was a part of her that wanted to run away, but she refused to listen to it. Her nerves started screaming louder, but were drowned out by the ringing of her phone. She checked the caller ID and saw it was from Ryuji. She was going to ignore it and just walk over to him, but then another idea came to mind.

“Hello?”

“Hey Hifumi, it’s Ryuji.”

“Good evening, Ryuji. How are you?” Hifumi started to cross the street.

“I’m good. Say, we only got a couple minutes ’til our table’s called. Are you close?”

“Close?” Hifumi reached the other side of the street and crept up behind Ryuji. “To what?”

“To the restaurant! Are you like five minutes away or ten minutes away or what?”

“Oh yes, that.” Hifumi tapped Ryuji on the shoulder. “I’m afraid I haven’t left home yet.”

“WHADDYA MEAN YOU HAVEN’T LEFT-“ Ryuji turned around, his yelling cut off when he saw Hifumi smiling at him. He hung up the phone. “YOU’RE HERE!”

“Yes, I am.” Hifumi put her phone away. “But now I’m not certain that I should stay.”

“Huh!? Why!?”

“Well, you just hung up on me.” Hifumi crossed her arms and turned her head up and to the side. “That was very rude, you know. I’m not certain I can date a man who treats a lady so brashly.” Hifumi smirked at Ryuji.

“Quit messin’ with me, will ya!? I’m freakin’ out enough already!”

“Alright, I’m sorry. I was just trying to work off some nervousness myself.” Hifumi dropped the haughty facade and took a good look at Ryuji’s suit. “You look very nice Ryuji.” She stared at his hair and frowned. “Except for this.” Hifumi ran her hand through Ryuji’s hair and ruffled it, causing it to pop back into its natural spiky state. “That’s better.”

“I knew Ann was full of it” Ryuji muttered under his breath. Ren snickered.

“Oh!” Hifumi looked around Ryuji to see Ren and Makoto. “Hello, Ren! And hello, Makoto! It’s nice to see you agaaaaiii…” Hifumi’s words trailed off as she got a look at Makoto’s outfit. To her, it seemed like the definition of classy. Comparatively, Hifumi’s own outfit was less eye-catching. She was in a white shirt, with a black blazer, a pleated black skirt that went just down over her knees, tan pantyhose, and black shoes. She had no special makeup on. She looked more like a businesswoman than somebody going out on a date.

“Is something wrong, Hifumi?” Makoto asked.

“I’m beginning to wonder if I dressed inappropriately for the occasion.” Hifumi looked down at the ground sadly. “All of you look so stunning, and I-“

“Look awesome” Ryuji said. Hifumi looked up at him, the same sad expression on her face.

“You’re just saying that.”

“No way.” Ryuji gestured to his outfit. “We’re both wearin’ suits! It’s our first date and we match! That’s gotta be fate or somethin’!”

“You really think so?” Hifumi started to smile.

“Yeah!”

“This isn’t a fashion show, Hifumi” Ren said. “It’s a dinner. Not one of us is unfit to be here.”

“And black is a very smart choice!” Makoto added. “If anything slips during the meal, it won’t show up on your outfit. Not like mine. I drop a single morsel and I’ll have a visible stain the whole evening.” Makoto scanned her own dress with worry. “Oh dear… Perhaps I shouldn’t have worn this.”

“You’ll be fine” Ren said, putting his arm around Makoto’s shoulders. “You’re the most fastidious eater I know.” Ren turned his attention to Ryuji and Hifumi. “Let’s all go inside. Our table should be ready any minute.”

The four headed inside. They were shown to their table fairly quickly. It was right by the window, giving them a view of the street. Due to the priciness of the food, they elected to forgo appetizers, deciding entrees and dessert would be enough. Ryuji and Hifumi sat next to each other on one side of the table, Ren and Makoto sitting across from them respectively. Makoto ordered a filleted bass with mustard sauce. Ren ordered a rack of lamb. Hifumi got some roast duck with a side of au gratin. Ryuji was fairly confused by the menu, but the others helped him navigate it and he asked the waiter for some veal medallions with morel sauce.

“This French stuff is impossible to understand” Ryuji said. “I dunno how you guys just know what to ask for like that.”

“I’ve watched many television programs about foreign cuisine” Makoto said. “I’ve also read about it independently. I suppose there’s a part of me that’s always wanted to travel the world.”

“Honestly, I just looked this stuff up online before coming here” Ren said.

“Many of the art students at Kosei High have an affinity for French culture” Hifumi said. “If you don’t learn some things about it, it quickly becomes grounds for ostracism.”

“Ostrich-what?” Ryuji asked.

“It means teasing and exclusion” Makoto answered.

“That’s a load of crap!” Ryuji’s fists balled up. “They judge you for not knowin’ about some country that they’re all into as a hobby!? How lame can you get!?”

“I suppose it’s such an ingrained part of the school’s culture that I’ve never really been bothered by it” Hifumi said. “And it’s not as if I’m not grateful for it. It has allowed me to expand my horizons somewhat. There are certain aspects of French culture I find fascinating.”

“You should meet our friend Haru, then” Ren said. “She’s something of a Francophile herself.”

“I’m not certain that we would necessarily get along all that well” Hifumi said. “In truth, I’m mostly interested in France’s military history. The French Resistance in World War II, the Hundred Years’ War, and of course, anything involving Napoleon Bonaparte. I positively adore learning about the weapons and battle strategies they used.”

“Oh yeah. You should TOTALLY talk to Haru” Ryuji said. “She’s really into that kinda thing. You two’d have a lot to talk about.”

“Really?” Hifumi turned to Ryuji. “How do you know this person?”

“She’s one of us!” Ryuji said.

“You mean…” Hifumi mouthed the words “Phantom Thief”.

“Well, she also went to Shujin” Ren said. “She was in Makoto’s grade. But we met her thanks to, you know, _that._ ”

“So, is it alright if I ask some questions about that?”

“So long as we all remain discrete” Makoto answered, giving Ryuji a stern look.

“So, Ren explained some of the more phenomenal details to me, what with everything that happened to the city on Christmas Eve, but how did you two get involved in that?”

“I was there from the start” Ryuji said proudly.

“That’s right” Ren said. “Ryuji was one of our founding members.”

“So that means you were part of the first change of heart, right?” Hifumi scratched her head trying to remember the news story. “It was that gym teacher… Kamo-something?”

“Kamoshida” Ren said.

“Yes, him.” Hifumi scowled. “I remember reading about his confession. How did you all get involved with him?”

“Hey, uh, if it’s ok with you…” All the joy left Ryuji’s face, and his arms hung at his sides. “Could we not talk about it? I’m fine tellin’ ya the story another time, but we’re havin’ a really good time tonight and I don’t wanna think about that kinda thing.”

“Oh no! I didn’t think-“ Hifumi sighed. “I remember how troubling things were with my mother before you all changed her heart. I imagine there are many unpleasant memories involved, and I’d hate to ruin this lovely evening by bringing them to the surface.” Hifumi grabbed Ryuji’s dangling hand. “I’m sorry, Ryuji.”

Ryuji didn’t forgive Hifumi vocally. He just smiled at her. Ren and Makoto couldn’t see their linked hands under the table from where they were sitting, but the positions of Hifumi and Ryuji’s arms told them what was going on. The two kept holding hands until their food came. The group continued to speak during the meal, with Makoto telling Hifumi the story of how she came to join the Phantom Thieves. Unlike Ryuji and his long history with Kamoshida, Makoto mostly saw her conflict with Kaneshiro as a triumphant event in her life, so she didn’t have much baggage when it came to discussing it.

At one point, Ryuji glanced out the window. He suddenly stood up, an angry look on his face.

“Ryuji?” Hifumi looked up at him in concern. “Is something wrong?”

“Out there.” Ryuji pointed out the window. Across the street, a man had grabbed a woman’s wrist and wasn’t letting go. From the red color of his face, he seemed drunk. Ren and Makoto both stood up.

“Let’s go” Ren said. The three of them headed for the door.

“I’m coming too!” Hifumi stood up.

“Please wait here” Makoto said. “We don’t want the restaurant to think that we’re skipping out on the check.”

“Besides, the three of us can handle this!” Ryuji said confidently. “After all, we were- Well, y’know.”

Hifumi watched through the window as Ren, Ryuji, and Makoto ran across the street. Ren was the first to confront the man. It looked like he was speaking calmly, yet firmly. Whatever he said, it was enough to grab the man’s attention. The man turned to the three, just distracted enough for the woman he was bothering to wrench her hand out of his grip. She ran off and the man turned to follow her, but Ren stepped forward and started yelling something. The man turned around and swung angrily at Ren, but Ryuji pushed Ren out of the way and got punched in the mouth. Ryuji reared back and covered his face, and Makoto stepped forward and drove her fist into the man’s gut. The man hunched over, yelling something. He looked up at Makoto, and Hifumi was glad that she couldn’t see Makoto’s face, because the man seemed to freeze in fear for a moment.

The woman he’d been harassing came running back with two police officers in tow. One cop grabbed the drunk and slapped handcuffs on him. The other walked over to Ryuji and said something to him. Ryuji shook his head and covered his face again. The cop nodded and crossed his arms, speaking more. Ryuji seemed to get angry at whatever he was saying, but his eyes changed to a look of surprise when the cop smiled and nodded again. The woman stepped forward and bowed to Ren, Ryuji, and Makoto, then left with the police.

The three teens returned to the restaurant. Makoto sat back down at the table while Ren and Ryuji headed towards the back.

“Where are they going?” Hifumi asked.

“The restroom” Makoto said, looking back at the two boys. “Ryuji’s mouth is bleeding.” Makoto turned to Hifumi only to be met with a terrified look on her face. “It’s nothing serious though! Just a split lip! They just need to dab it with paper towels until it starts to scab.”

“I see. It could have been much worse, I suppose.” Hifumi sighed. “Does Ryuji often wind up in situations like this?”

“Not frequently, but certainly more often than the average person” Makoto responded. She was about to continue her meal, but retracted her hand right before grabbing her fork. “Can I ask you a question, Hifumi?”

“Certainly.”

“Alright. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but what do you see in Ryuji?”

“What do you mean?” Hifumi crossed her arms. “Do you have a problem with me dating Ryuji?”

“No, far from it!” Makoto shook her head fervently. “I’m quite happy for both of you. Ryuji doesn’t exactly have the best track record with girls, and you’re a very intelligent and goal-driven person. Not that I’m saying that dating Ryuji is an unintelligent decision, of course! I’m just curious about the nature of your attraction to him.”

“Well, I suppose that’s a fair question.” Hifumi leaned back in her chair a bit, her hand on her chin in thought. “If you asked me a year ago what my ideal boyfriend would be like, I doubt I would have given an answer resembling Ryuji. But truthfully, I don’t know if I would have been able to give you an answer at all.”

“I see.” Makoto smiled. “It was the same way with me and Ren. My life had been so defined by being driven by personal success that I’d hardly given any thought to something like dating. And then we got involved in each other’s lives, and not too long after that, we felt a mutual attraction.”

“Yes, that sounds eerily familiar.” Of course, in Hifumi’s case, her mother forbade her from dating so she could sell the image of Hifumi as an idol. She wondered if Makoto’d had a similarly overbearing authority figure in her life. “One of the main things I like about Ryuji is how unabashedly honest he is. In the shogi world, everything is kept under wraps. People don’t show you who they really are until they’re striking a blow against you. You have to be able to see through them to know what they’re going to do. I suppose people are like that in life outside of shogi too, aren’t they?”

Makoto silently nodded.

“But Ryuji’s different. He’s an open book. He says what he’s thinking and wears his heart on his sleeve.” Hifumi giggled. “And yes, he can be very silly. But it’s endearing. He’s so passionate about everything. I want to be more like that, and he’s encouraged me to explore the world beyond the shogi board and become a happier, more well-rounded person.”

“I know what you mean. Being with Ren has done similar things for me.” Makoto wondered where she’d be in life if Ren hadn’t come along and caused her to break out of her shell. “I think he and Ryuji get along so well because they have those similar value sets. Of course, Ren is much cooler about it.”

“I think Ryuji is _very_ cool” Hifumi said.

“Cool-headed, I mean.”

“Ah, yes. Ryuji doesn’t really seem to have an off switch.” Hifumi noticed Ren and Ryuji coming back from the bathroom. “Not that I would flip it if he had one. If he weren’t such a hothead, I probably wouldn’t enjoy his company so much.”

“Hey, sorry about bein’ gone so long.” Ryuji walked around Hifumi and took his seat. Ren sat down next to Makoto.

“It’s fine. Makoto kept me company.” Hifumi turned to Ryuji, whose lower lip was split and a little swollen. “Oh my. That looks unpleasant.”

“Yeah, it blows” Ryuji said over an inflamed lower lip. “But that lady’s safe, so it was worth it, I guess.”

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s more annoyin’ than anything..” Ryuji speared a veal medallion on his fork and shoved it in his mouth. “Oh good” he said with his mouth full. “It hashn’t gone cold.”

The evening continued, and when everybody finished their meal, they all got creme brûlée at Makoto’s suggestion. They also ordered coffee at Ren's suggestion. Ryuji didn’t much care for the coffee, but then he got the idea to mix in a spoonful of the creme brûlée in and found it much more to his liking. Shortly after they finished, the waiter asked them how the check should be divided up.

“Oh, well…” Makoto looked at Ren, then back at the waiter. “The two of us will be going Dutch.”

“What’s that mean?” Ryuji asked.

“It means we split the check” Ren said. “We always do it.”

“We should do that too” Hifumi told Ryuji.

“Oh, uh…” Ryuji took out his wallet. “I mean, ain’t I supposed to pay for your food? Isn’t that how this works?”

“You don’t have to do that!” Hifumi looked down at her own purse. “This establishment is rather expensive…” She looked up back at Ryuji with an uneasy smile. “But it’s not as if I don’t have the money to pay for my meal!”

“Yeah…” Ryuji’s eyes narrowed. “But will you have any money left after that?”

“Well, uh…” Hifumi twiddled her thumbs. “That is… I suppose I might actually have to borrow-“

“One check for this side of the table” Ryuji said. The waiter walked away.

“I’m sorry!” Hifumi said frantically. “I really did intend on paying for my own meal tonight! But I didn’t realize just how much this would all cost and I never carry more than 5000 yen on my person and I recently had an issue with some credit card fraud and I’m still waiting on the replacement card in the mail and-“

“It’s cool” Ryuji said. “I’m good for it.”

“He really is” Ren said. “This guy pretty much never buys anything except manga and snacks. He’s got a lot of cash saved up from our ‘old job’.”

“Well, if it’s really alright…” Hifumi straightened her posture and looked Ryuji dead in the eye. “But I insist on paying for our next date!”

“‘Next date!?’” Ryuji got a big grin on his face.

“Of course!” Hifumi looked around the restaurant. “Just so long as it’s not a place like this again.”

* * *

After paying the check, the couples split up. Makoto insisted on Ren walking her home. Something about Sae refusing to believe Ren owned a tie. Apparently modern-day photo-editing software was too advanced and Sae would only believe it if she could see it with her own eyes. Ryuji laughed and he and Hifumi waved goodbye to the two.

“So, uh…” Ryuji rubbed the back of his head. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

“I think I’d like that very much” Hifumi said.

“Great. You live near the church, right?” Ryuji held out his arm. “Let’s go.”

“Ok.” Hifumi linked her arm with his and the two headed for the subway.

The two stayed arm-in-arm for the whole journey back to Hifumi’s house. They were silent at first, but eventually Ryuji asked her about her upcoming match, and Hifumi excitedly told him about the older player she’d be facing off against and how she was the closest any female shogi player had come to being the national champion. Hifumi doubted she could beat her but spoke about how she’d still be honored just to play against her, and talked about the many strategies she’d developed over her career. Ryuji only understood about a third of what she was talking about, but just seeing how excited she got was enough for him to feel like the confusion was worth it.

It took about half an hour, but they finally arrived at Hifumi’s house in Kanda. Outside the front door, Ryuji let go of Hifumi’s arm.

“Well, we’re here.”

“Yes.” Hifumi turned to stand face to face with Ryuji. “We are.”

“So… Uh… Have a good night, I guess?” Ryuji started to turn away but Hifumi grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait! Isn’t there anything else?”

“Uh…” Ryuji scratched his head. Was there some kind of dating etiquette he was forgetting? The only thing he could think of was “Thank you for your hard work”, but that didn’t seem right. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh.” Hifumi linked her fingers behind her back, looking at Ryuji’s mouth sadly. “Yes, I suppose with your lip in the condition it’s in, that sort of thing wouldn’t be on your mind.”

“My lip? What does that have to do with anyth- OH!” Ryuji’s eyes widened. “I mean, if you wanna, I’m cool with it.”

“Well, I only want to try it if you want to also.”

“I do! Totally!” Ryuji leaned forward a bit. “So, how do we do this? Do we like-“

Hifumi dived forward and grabbed Ryuji’s head, planting her lips on his. Ryuji’s lower lip hurt from the pressure being put on it, but he powered through it and returned the gesture. As far as he was concerned, it was the best pain he’d ever experienced in his life. Neither of them were really sure how long they kept the kiss up, but eventually when Hifumi started to have difficulty breathing, she broke it off. Their faces were flushed.

“Well, good night” Hifumi said. She turned towards the front door.

“G’night” Ryuji said quietly.

Hifumi walked into her house. There was silence for a few moments. Then, as she began to take off her shoes, she heard a very loud “AW YEAH!” from the other side of the door. She was pretty sure that all of Kanda had heard it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I legit didn't think I was gonna get this done, then last night I just got a burst of energy, and I've still got three hours to kill before I actually head to Anime Expo.
> 
> There will be a conclusion chapter, but it won't be until after the con. So, see you folks on, I dunno, Thursday?


	5. The Togo King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji meets Hifumi's parents.

> Ann: So, how’d it go!?
> 
> Ryuji: C’mon, Ann. It’s like that thing people on TV say. A gentle dude doesn’t make out and tell.
> 
> Ann: OMG! You two kissed!?
> 
> Ryuji: You know it!
> 
> Ann: So my advice worked! I knew she’d prefer you without your usual unruly hair.
> 
> Ryuji: Nah, she hated it. Prefers it ruly, I guess. Also I had a busted lip.
> 
> Ann: Really!?
> 
> Ryuji: Yup! I’m a real man’s man, huh?
> 
> Ann: Are you sure you should be dating Hifumi?
> 
> Ryuji: WHAT!?
> 
> Ann: I’m just saying, she sounds like she might be some kind of adrenaline junkie. Being with her might lead to trouble.
> 
> Ryuji: It feels like nothin’ in my life ever DOESN’T lead to trouble.
> 
> Ann: Huh. Good point. I guess she’s perfect for you then!

* * *

> Haru: Ryuji-Kun, if you don’t mind my asking, was your date a pleasant one?
> 
> Ryuji: Yeah, pretty much.
> 
> Haru: So Ren-Kun and Mako-Chan were helpful?
> 
> Ryuji: Except for the part where they let some dude deck me in the face, yeah.
> 
> Haru: Oh my! I hope he received his comeuppance!
> 
> Ryuji: Makoto slugged him in the gut, yeah.
> 
> Haru: Oh, that poor man!
> 
> Ryuji: Um… What?
> 
> Haru: I’ve been on the receiving end of one of Mako-Chan’s punches when she had Marin Karin inflicted on her. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
> 
> Haru: All of the breath left my body and it was as if every nerve around the struck area shrieked in pain.
> 
> Haru: And then there’s that terrifying glare of hers when she makes you her target. I was debilitated and overcome with fear all at once!
> 
> Ryuji: Well, that was in the Metaverse, yeah? We were all stronger there. Plus she had those brass knuckles.
> 
> Haru: I suppose. But it was a uniquely painful experience. I would wish one of Mako-Chan’s punches on my worst enemy.
> 
> Ryuji: You mean “wouldn’t” wish it on your worst enemy, right?
> 
> Haru: That was not a typo, Ryuji-Kun.

* * *

> Yusuke: So, was your romantic endeavor successful?
> 
> Ryuji: Yup. Hifumi and I kissed and are gonna go out again soon.
> 
> Yusuke: A kiss, you say? How wonderful! You must tell me all about it!
> 
> Ryuji: Oh, uh, well, I walked her home, and we talked for a bit, and then we made out and said goodnight, I guess.
> 
> Yusuke: Yes, yes, but what color were her lips? How would you describe their softness? Was her scent pleasing?
> 
> Ryuji: Uh… These questions are kinda weird. Why do you wanna know?
> 
> Yusuke: I am trying to get a full understanding of Togo-San’s unique beauty.
> 
> Ryuji: Dude, are you plannin’ on makin’ a move on my girl!?
> 
> Yusuke: Perish the thought. I wish to know how you perceived this moment of passion so I may harness those feelings for my artwork.
> 
> Ryuji: I don’t think that’s gonna work how you want it to, dude.
> 
> Yusuke: Yes, you’re correct. I doubt you could convey such feelings through text. I would have to observe your recollection in person. Perhaps over a bowl of ramen?
> 
> Ryuji: If we do that I’m gonna wind up payin’ for it!
> 
> Yusuke: Would you be so kind? I would very much appreciate it.

* * *

> Hifumi: Hello, Makoto. I hope my messaging you out of the blue like this is not intrusive.
> 
> Makoto: Not at all. What’s on your mind, Hifumi?
> 
> Hifumi: I believe that Ryuji and I are officially “an item”, as it were.
> 
> Makoto: How so?
> 
> Hifumi: We’ve agreed to see each other again and even exchanged a kiss last night.
> 
> Makoto: Congratulations! You two seem to make each other quite happy!
> 
> Hifumi: We do. Which is why I’m experiencing some trepidation regarding this new status for our relationship.
> 
> Makoto: What do you mean?
> 
> Hifumi: When Ryuji and I were just friends, I didn’t really have to tell my parents about him. Now that we’re dating, I do, and I’m not certain how to broach the subject.
> 
> Makoto: I can see how that would be stress-inducing.
> 
> Hifumi: How did you tell your parents about you and Ren?
> 
> Makoto: My parents both passed away before Ren and I ever met.
> 
> Hifumi: I’m sorry. I had no idea.
> 
> Makoto: It’s fine. Most people don’t before meeting me. My older sister has been responsible for my upbringing the past few years, and she already had something of a relationship with Ren before she learned of our romantic entanglement.
> 
> Hifumi: So you’ve no advice for how I should handle this situation?
> 
> Makoto: Not from personal experience, no. But I have been told that your parents are very supportive. Perhaps simply telling them will be enough.
> 
> Hifumi: You are probably right. Thank you, Makoto.

* * *

Ryuji was hanging outside of of Ren's classroom at the end of the school day. He was waiting for Ren to come out so he could tell him about what happened after he left the restaurant with Hifumi. Unlike the rest of his friends, Ryuji didn’t wanna tell Ren about the kiss through text. He wanted to brag about it to his best friend in person.

“No way” a voice whispered.

“It’s gotta be him!” another responded.

“It can’t be Sakamoto! It just can’t!”

Ryuji didn’t usually pay attention to the different whispers that went on it the school, but hearing his own name caught his attention. He turned towards the sound of gossip and saw three girls peeking at him from behind a corner. One he recognized as in his class, the writer of the school newspaper. The other two seemed to be younger students, first years, by the looks of it.

“What’re you three lookin’ at!?” Ryuji yelled. The three ducked behind the wall and he stormed over to them. When he turned the corner, they hadn’t gone anywhere, they were just staring at him in stunned silence. He started scanning the group. “What kinda rumors are people spreadin’ this ti-“ Ryuji noticed the magazine in one of the younger girls’ hands. It was the same one his mom had showed him. Ryuji quit talking and just stared at the magazine.

The younger girls were whispering to each other. Ryuji couldn’t make out everything, though they seemed to be prodding each other to “ask him” and refusing on the grounds of “he’s scary-looking”. After about ten seconds of this, the Newspaper Girl rolled her eyes and stepped forward.

“Good afternoon, Sakamoto-Kun. I’d like to ask you a question, if you have a moment.”

“I’m busy” Ryuji said.

“Really? Because it looked like you were just standing around to me.”

“Fine, ask your thing. But I ain’t promisin’ no answers.”

“Fair enough. Let me get straight to the point, then.” The Newspaper Girl turned to one of her juniors and held out her hand. The younger girl gave her the magazine. She opened it up to the article about Hifumi and held it to Ryuji’s face, pointing to the pictures of that day at the Big Bang Burger. “Are you ‘Ronald-Kun’?”

Ryuji sighed. “Yeah.”

“Now, before you deny it, I’d like to point out that-“ The Newspaper Girl stopped talking. There was silence for a few seconds. “Wait, did you say ‘yes’?”

“Yup.” Ryuji leaned against the wall. “Folks’re gonna find out about it soon enough I guess, so yeah. Hifumi and I are goin’ out.” The two younger girls gasped. One of them stepped forward.

“Um,” she asked timidly, “Sakamoto-Senpai…”

Ryuji’s eyes widened. Nobody had ever called him “Senpai” before. The rare younger student that didn’t outright avoid him tended to think he wasn’t worthy of that kind of respect.

“What is Togo-Sama like?” the girl asked.

“Smart. Cool. Funny. Y’know, good stuff that makes people rad.”

“Can you get us her autograph!?” the other first-year girl added.

“Whoa, hold up!” Ryuji looked down at the girls annoyed. “I ain’t doin’ that for some stranger! Besdies, Hifumi don’t like that celebrity treatment stuff. It’s totally lame that that article was published in the first place!”

“But she IS a celebrity, like it or not” the Newspaper Girl said. “Which means there’s a very interesting story to tell. So how exactly DOES Shujin Academy’s most… ‘excitable’ student get romantically involved with a nationally-acknowledged shogi player?”

“I ain’t doin’ an interview” Ryuji said.

“But the people want to know!”

“The people can screw off!” Ryuji banged his fist against the wall. “They knew Kamoshida was evil and did nothin’ about it! Even after he confessed to everything he did, they still treat me like trash for havin’ the balls to fight back against him! Why weren’t you reportin’ on THAT when it was happenin’, huh!?”

The two younger girls took a step back and looked up at the third years. They had of course heard the stories of the corrupt gym teacher, but most of the older students and faculty refused to ever really talk about it. And they had no idea that the delinquent third-year had been his enemy. The Newspaper Girl’s shoulders shook a bit.

“I couldn’t! Do you know what would happen if I tried slandering one of the teachers in the school paper!?”

“Well great, that sure makes up for all the crap I went through!”

“Ryuji?”

Ryuji turned around and saw Ren peeking around the corner, a worried look on his face.

“I thought that was you yelling. What’s going on here?”

“Nothin’. Let’s go.” Ryuji put his arm around Ren's shoulder and the two walked off, Ryuji glaring back at the girls. “I got somethin’ I wanna tell you about, ‘cause you’re MY FRIEND!”

“Damn it!” Ren put his finger in his ear. “Don’t do that when you’re right next to me!”

“Sorry dude, my bad.” Ryuji took his arm off Ren. “I was just makin’ a point.”

“Well next time, give a guy a warning.” Ren unplugged his ear. “What was that all about anyway?”

“They recognized me from that article about Hifumi. Cat’s outta the bag.”

“Well, it was bound to happen eventually. So what are you guys going to do now?”

“Nothin’, probably.” Ryuji yawned. “We already decided what other people think don’t matter.”

“Good for you two.” Ren gave Ryuji a thumbs up. “So I guess you two didn’t decide to break things off after dinner ended, huh?”

“Nope. We’re gonna be a thing. It’s awesome!” Ryuji had one of the biggest grins he’d had in the entire time Ren had known him. Before Ren could respond, Ryuji’s phone started ringing. Ryuji looked at it and his grin somehow got even wider.

“That’s Miss ‘Thing’, I take it?” Ren asked.

“Yup!” Ryuji answered the call. “Hey Hifumi! What’s up?”

“Good afternoon, Ryuji” Hifumi said. “I hope I am not interrupting anything important.”

“Nah, just hangin’ with Ren.”

“I see.” There was a somber tone to Hifumi’s voice. “Please tell him I said ‘hello’.“

“I will, but…” Ryuji’s smile vanished instantly. “You ok? You sound like somethin’s buggin’ ya.” 

“It can wait” Hifumi said in that same down fashion. “I do not wish to be one of those clingy girlfriends that interrupts all of your time with your friends.”

“Don’t worry about it” Ryuji said. “You callin’ me ain’t interruptin’ anything. Just tell me what’s up.”

“Well, if you insist…” Ryuji could hear Hifumi taking a deep breath over the phone. “Ryuji, would it be possible for us to meet tomorrow evening?”

“Uh… Sure. I don’t got nothin’ planned. Why?”

“Since we have established that we are going to continue dating, I would like for you to meet my parents.”

Ren couldn’t hear Hifumi’s side of the conversation, but he took a step away from Ryuji and his hands instinctually darted to his ears the second he saw the blonde’s eyes widen. It would take less than a second for him to know he had taken the right action.

**“F’REAL!?”**

* * *

The next day, Ryuji found himself once again standing outside of the Togo household. He felt like he should be dressed up instead of in one of his regular tee shirts, but Hifumi had insisted that he show up without pretense so her parents could meet the real him. Still, he felt like he should do something special for the meeting, so he brought along a box of fresh taiyaki. Apparently Hifumi’s dad had a weakness for the stuff. It seemed like an appropriate gift.

With the most difficulty Ryuji’d had moving his legs since one of them was broken, he walked straight up to the front door. He knocked on it three times, and every second it took for the door to open afterwards felt like an eternity. Eventually, the door did open, and Hifumi stood on the other side, smiling.

“You’re here!”

“Well, yeah. I said I’d be.” Ryuji cocked his eyebrow. “Didja think I was gonna bail on you or somethin’?”

“Not for a second.” Hifumi looked down at the white box in Ryuji’s hand. “What’s that?”

“Oh, uh, taiyaki. You said your dad liked it, right?”

“Did I?” Hifumi thought back. She’d had many conversations with Ryuji, where they’d discussed a variety of things. She couldn’t remember all of them. It didn’t seem impossible that she’d mentioned her father’s predilection for the fish-shaped treat, but it couldn’t have been more than an offhanded comment. “I’m amazed you’d remember such a thing.”

“Well, I did. So…” Ryuji started tapping his foot, looking up and down the street. “Can I come in already?”

“Of course! How rude of me! I’m sorry.” Hifumi stepped out of the way and held the door open for Ryuji. “Please, come in.”

Ryuji stepped into the house and took off his shoes, looking around. Hifumi’s mother did very well for herself, it seemed. Once she stopped trying to control Hifumi’s life, she had the bright idea to become a consultant for talent agents. Luckily, her name still carried some clout in the entertainment world, and there were plenty of rookie managers with wannabe idol clients willing to pay for her insight into how to gain popularity. After all, she had nearly turned Hifumi into an idol, and just because she no longer had the desire to exploit her daughter’s potential fame for her own gain didn’t mean she didn’t still understand the media. Ryuji hadn’t really focused on it from the outside, but now that he was inside, he was realizing how large the Togo home was. It wasn’t an elegant mansion or anything, but it was certainly larger than the tiny apartment he and his mother shared. Probably larger than Sojiro and Futaba’s house too. This house had multiple stories at least. Ryuji couldn’t think of a lot of homes he’d been to that had that. The decor was a mix of some nice contemporary stuff and a bunch of traditional Japanese stuff. The traditional stuff Ryuji recognized. A well-tended bonsai tree, wall scrolls with calligraphy on them, a painting of Mt. Fuji, stuff like that. He wasn’t really sure how you’d classify the more modern furnishings. Makoto, Ann, or Haru would probably know about that, but he wasn’t really all that interested in asking. As Ryuji was taking in the scene, an older woman appeared from another room. There was something familiar about her. Ryuji could’ve sworn he’d seen her somewhere before.

“Ah, hello.” The woman stared at Ryuji awkwardly. “I take it you are Sakamoto-Kun?”

“Uh… hi.” Ryuji returned the awkward stare. “You’re Hifumi’s mom, right?”

“Yes. I am Mitsuyo Togo.”

The name brought it back. This was one of many people whose hearts the Phantom Thieves had changed the heart of in Mementos. Ryuji’d been so nervous about the meeting he somehow forgot that they’d changed her heart, even though he and Hifumi had discussed it multiple times since hanging out. He remembered fighting her shadow. The way she’d talked about how Hifumi was hers and existed for her happiness really pissed him off at the time. Right now, he was just trying really hard not to think about how she’d turned into some kind of sexy demon lady when they fought her.

“Um… Yeah, I’m Ryuji Sakamoto. It’s nice to meet you.” Ryuji bowed stiffly, holding out the box of taiyaki above his head. “This is for your family and stuff.”

“Thank you.” Mrs. Togo took the box and returned the bow very slightly. She opened it and a half smile appeared on her face. “Ah, my husband’s favorite. A not-unintelligent move if you’re trying to win his favor.” She looked at Hifumi. “Did you put him up to this?”

“I mentioned father’s predilection for taiyaki in passing a long time ago” Hifumi said, a proud smile on her face. “Ryuji remembered it all on his own.”

“That’s very kind of you, Sakamo- Erm, Ryuji-Kun.” A more sincere smile appeared on her face, though there was still some nervousness in her eyes. “I suppose we can save this for after dinner. Hifumi has told me that you enjoy meat. I hope Nikujaga is to your liking.”

“That sounds cool, yeah” Ryuji said quietly. Hifumi’s mom seemed to be approving of him somewhat, but the tension in the room was still palpable.

“Well, dinner won’t be too far off. Please make yourself comfortable in the meantime.”

“I’d like to introduce Ryuji to Father before dinner, Mother” Hifumi said. “Is he awake?”

“I believe so.”

“Excellent.” Hifumi walked through the hallway, signaling for Ryuji to follow her. “Let’s go, Ryuji.”

“Uh, sure.” Ryuji and Hifumi’s mother gave each other one last awkward glance as he left the entryway. Hifumi led Ryuji to a sliding door. She opened it slightly and poked her head in.

“Father? Are you feeling well?”

“Yes, Hifumi” said a voice from the other side of the door. It was an older man’s voice, a bit weak, but there was some bass to it. “Come in.”

Hifumi stepped in, holding out a hand to Ryuji to stop him from entering. With Hifumi in the way, he couldn’t really see anything in the room.

“I’ve brought a guest tonight, father. I’d like you to meet him, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I believe I am.” Ryuji heard chuckling. “Your face is so red, Hifumi. Who is this guest? Have you found yourself a boyfriend or something?”

“Actually,” Hifumi said, voice wavering, “I have. He’s here.”

“I see” Hifumi’s father said calmly. “Well, let’s see him.”

Hifumi turned to Ryuji and nodded, then stepped into the room. Ryuji followed her. Hifumi’s father was lying in a bed, propped into a sitting position by a mountain of pillows, a newspaper laid out before him. He seemed about the same age as his wife, although he seemed overly thin and worn out, actually looking a bit more like a grandpa than a dad. Most of his hair was gone. His thin lips gave Ryuji a small smile, but behind short round glasses, his eyes were scanning the boy sternly. Once again, Ryuji was in a very tense room. But whereas the last tense situation he was in was an awkward one, this felt more serious, a little scary.

“Hello.” Ryuji bowed. “My name is Ryuji Sakamoto.”

“Hello, young man.” Hifumi’s father adjusted his glasses and bowed his head slightly. “My name is Iwao Togo. Please forgive me for not rising to greet you properly.”

“It’s cool. I get it.” Ryuji scratched his head. “I’m not really big on that kinda thing anyway.”

“Yes, I surmised as much from your hair.” Mr. Togo smirked. “If I may, how long have you dyed it like that?”

“A couple years now” Ryuji said.

“I see. Tell me, Ryuji, are you a delinquent?”

“Father!” Hifumi’s brow furrowed. “That is a very rude thing to ask someone!”

“It’s fine” Ryuji said.

“It is?” Hifumi looked at Ryuji, surprised.

“I mean, it’s like, I dunno how dads are really supposed to act…” Ryuji frowned for a moment, then his face returned to a neutral expression, putting his hands in his pockets and trying to look cool. “But I figure if I had a daughter, and she came home with a dude who looked like me and said she was datin’ him, I’d be wonderin’ the same thing.”

“I am glad we understand each other.” Mr. Togo leaned forward, bringing his hands together, a wicked gleam in his eye. “So, what is the answer, Ryuji?”

“I mean…” Ryuji kicked the floor slightly. “I guess it kinda depends on what you mean by ‘delinquent’.”

“Is that so?” Mr. Togo cocked his eyebrow. “And what is your definition of ‘delinquent’?”

“Well, I don’t smoke or skip classes or anything like that. And I’m not drinkin’ booze or doin’ crimes or anything like that.” Ryuji tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling. “I guess I get into fights sometimes, but usually other dudes are startin’ it.”

“That’s right!” Hifumi said. “When Ryuji and I first met, he singlehandedly defeated three boys who approached me with ill intentions! He’s very noble, father!”

“Really now?” Mr. Togo’s smirk vanished. He seemed to be pondering something. He looked at the top of Ryuji’s head. “So, why the blonde hair?”

“You remember the news story about the gym teacher Kamoshida?” Ryuji asked.

“The Olympic medalist who abused students at Shujin Academy?” Mr. Togo’s eyes widened. “Of course I do. It was the first of those many Phantom Thieves stories. What does he have to do with this?”

“He did some stuff to me and trashed my rep” Ryuji said. “I mean, I guess I was kinda responsible for it too, but everybody sided with him ‘cause nobody knew how bad he was yet, and they started callin’ me a delinquent and troublemaker and stuff. So I guess I just kinda leaned into it.”

“And yet, he did eventually face justice.” Mr. Togo brought his hands together again. “Still, I imagine it must have been frustrating being in that sort of situation.”

“Yeah. It’s like, no matter what he did or how many people knew about it, everyone acted like I was the one doin’ somethin’ wrong. I tried to expose him, but I couldn’t do anything on my own.”

“Fascinating…” Mr. Togo grinned. With his hands interlocked and him hunched over, he reminded Ryuji a lot of that old guy Ren talked to in that velvet place. His eyes turned to Hifumi. “It seems you’ve fallen for a modern-day ronin of sorts, Hifumi.”

“A ronin?” Ryuji looked at Hifumi in confusion.

“A masterless samurai” Hifumi answered. “One without honor who wanders from place to place.”

“I know what a ‘ronin’ is!” Ryuji yelled. “But I don’t get how I’m one!” Ryuji turned to Mr. Togo. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Not necessarily…” Mr. Togo’s grin disappeared and he looked Ryuji directly in the eyes. Ryuji felt a chill run up his spine. “Do you play shogi, Ryuji?”

“Kinda.” Ryuji looked at Hifumi again. “I mean, we play a bit together, but I totally suck at it.”

“But you DO play it.”

“Sure.”

“Excellent!” Mr. Togo looked at Hifumi. “Hifumi, dear, would you please bring us my shogi board? I’d like to play a match with Ryuji.”

“Are you certain, Father?” Hifumi looked at Mr. Togo sadly. “Your condition-“

“I am feeling strong enough today for a quick game.” Mr. Togo gave Hifumi a warm smile.

“If you say so.” Hifumi left the room. Ryuji was left alone with Mr. Togo. Neither of them said a word. Ryuji just stared at Hifumi’s father awkwardly. In turn, he smiled at Ryuji, somehow looking down his nose at him even though in his sitting position he was below Ryuji’s eye level. A minute later, Hifumi came back with a shogi board and a box of pieces. It was, by all appearances, an ordinary shogi board. She pointed to a table and chair in the corner of the room.

“Ryuji, could you please bring those by the bedside?”

“Sure.” Ryuji picked up the table. It was small and pretty light. He dropped it next to the right side of the bed and grabbed the simple wooden chair, sitting down in it. Hifumi placed the shogi board on the table and Ryuji took the box of pieces from her, starting to set up his side of the board. He looked up at Mr. Togo. “Do you need me to do your side too?”

“I can handle it, thank you.” Mr. Togo turned his body so he was facing the table and reached into the box, plucking out a pawn. He placed it on his side of the board and looked up at Hifumi. “Could we have some privacy please, Hifumi? I would like young Ryuji here to be able to play without any distractions.”

“Of course, Father.” Hifumi headed for the door. “Good luck, Ryuji.” She left the room.

“So,” Mr. Togo said, continuing to set up his side of the board, “ _you’re_ the reason Hifumi’s been acting so strangely as of late.”

“Whaddya mean?” Ryuji asked.

“I’ve felt like she was keeping something from me lately. Of course, it’s so hard to know how serious it is with that girl. The way she frets over my condition, she hesitates to tell me anything mildly unpleasant.”

“Oh yeah. She was really worried when that article came out.”

“What article?” Mr. Togo stopped setting up the board and looked at Ryuji with confusion.

“She still ain’t told you ‘bout that?” Ryuji started to sweat a bit.

“No.” Mr. Togo’s voice got deeper. “Enlighten me.”

“Well, me and her were hangin’ out, and somebody took some pictures of us in secret, and then this gossip mag started talkin’ about how the famous shogi player was datin’ a delinquent.”

“When was this?”

“A couple weeks ago, I guess.”

“But you WERE dating.”

“Not ’til after that, actually.”

"You asked her out after a tabloid started slandering her?”

“She asked me out.”

Mr. Togo laughed. “Yes, that sounds like Hifumi.” He finished setting up his side of the board. “Let us table the discussion for a moment. Now, we play.”

Truly, the discussion only ceased for a moment. That’s how long it took for Ryuji to lose. He knew that Hifumi’s dad had been a pro shogi player before he got sick, but he also knew that he barely played anymore. Ryuji didn’t think he was going to win, but he didn’t think he was going to lose so quickly. His mom had once mentioned that the shortest possible shogi game was seven moves between the two players. That was exactly how long the game lasted. Ryuji had failed in shogi as completely and totally as was possible.

“You really have no instinct for this at all” Mr. Togo said, laying back down against the pillows.

“C’mon! Let’s go again!” Ryuji yelled.

“I think not. It will only go the same.” For the first time the entire evening, Mr. Togo gave Ryuji a smile that had no trace of mischief or malice about it. “Besides, I have already learned what I wish to know.”

“And what’s that?” Ryuji asked.

“You are not a strategic man. I always feared that Hifumi would fall in love with some great rival shogi player. A man of great intellect and cunning.”

“Uh… I don’t get it.” Ryuji started putting all the shogi pieces back in their box. “Wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

“Hardly.” Mr. Togo looked into Ryuji’s eyes, this time with a hint of admiration. “I like you, Ryuji Sakamoto. You are not a schemer. You are not dishonest. You do not see people and think how to manipulate them to your ends. And your complete lack of any shogi skill tells me that you have other interests, which I could only hope spreads to my daughter.”

“You don’t want Hifumi to be good at shogi?”

“Of course I do. But I gave my entire being to this game. I neglected my own care and thought little of anything else. And now, here I am, confined to this bed for most of my hours.” Sadness filled Mr. Togo’s eyes. “I don’t want that for Hifumi. I want her to enjoy life. I want her to be a multifaceted person with various interests. And so, although I doubt you feel that you require it, I am giving you permission to continue dating my daughter.”

“Uh… Cool. Thanks.” Ryuji stared at Mr. Togo dumbfounded, trying to process everything he’d just said.

“Are you two finished?” Hifumi poked her head in through the door. “Mother says that dinner is ready.”

“What magnificent timing!” Mr. Togo reached towards the wall next to his bed and grabbed a wooden cane. Ryuji moved around the bed and helped him get up, making sure he was stable before letting go.

Ryuji and the Togo family ate dinner, making small talk. Ryuji didn’t really have much in the way of common interests with either of Hifumi’s parents, but they were pleasant enough. He didn’t particularly enjoy spending time with them, but it wasn’t awkward anymore either. Just kind of dull. Still, he could at least get along with them, and that was good enough.

* * *

 

After dinner, Hifumi’s mother led her father back to his room. Hifumi escorted Ryuji to the front door as he was leaving.

“I think that went well” she said.

“Yeah” Ryuji responded. “Your folks don’t seem to hate me, so we can keep datin’.”

“It’s not like I would have broken up with you even if they disapproved, you know.”

“Yeah, but this makes it easier, don’t it?”

“Yes, it does.” Hifumi kissed Ryuji on the cheek. He got a dumb grin on his face and silently put on his shoes. “So, you know what our next step is, right?”

“Uh…” Ryuji thought about it for a moment. The next step? In their relationship? They were already dating, they’d kissed, he’d met her family… What else was left? The only thing he could think of was something he wasn’t really comfortable saying with Hifumi’s parents just a room away. “No. What?”

“We need to arrange for me to meet your mother” Hifumi said.

“No we don’t” Ryuji said quickly.

“What do you mean? Of course we-“

Ryuji opened the front door and ran out, rushing down the street.

“Alrightthat’sgreatlaterHifumiI’lltalktoyasoon **BYE!** ”

“Ryuji! Get back here! RYUJI!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this took forever to finish. I'd like to tell you guys some whirlwind story about me finding true love at AX and living the exciting hobo life in Los Angeles for a few days after the con before she turned out to be a statue or something and I'd been drugged as part of Christopher Sabat's hilarious new prank show, but the truth is I've just been distracted by the Crash Bandicoot remakes for a few days.
> 
> New stories are coming soon. I've already started writing one that's actually gonna be my first crossover (not saying with what), so look forward to that.

**Author's Note:**

> Update: This fic's been changed to use Joker's canon name.


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